Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake an assessment of the effect of (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction on people's mental health.

Public Health England’s (PHEs) alcohol evidence review published last year highlighted the links in the research, including links between alcohol use disorders, depression and bipolar disorder. The review represents England’s most comprehensive look at the evidence on the public health burden of alcohol and policy responses to reduce the health, social and economic harm.

The review can be read here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-public-health-burden-of-alcohol-evidence-review

The ‘Drug Misuse and Dependence: United Kingdom guidelines on clinical management’, which were updated earlier this year, specifically address co-existing mental health and substance use problems. The guidelines outline how and where services for people with these conditions should be delivered, depending on the severity of the problem:

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/guidelines.aspx

In June 2017, PHE published guidance on better care for people with co-occurring mental health and alcohol and drug use conditions. This guidance is aimed at commissioners and providers of mental health and alcohol and drug treatment services and is also suitable for support services that have contact with people with co-occurring conditions:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/625809/Co-occurring_mental_health_and_alcohol_drug_use_conditions.pdf