Building the Path to Home

First Steps

This section explains what we mean by dual diagnosis, provides an overview of the relationship between housing and support, and lists contacts and resources to get you started.

What is dual diagnosis?

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (which funds mental health services and supports) and the Ministry of Community and Social Services (which funds developmental disability services and supports) agree that a person with a dual diagnosis has both a developmental disability and a mental health problem.

Developmental disabilities

Technically, a developmental disability means that a person has:

• an IQ of 70 or lower
• significant limitation in adaptive functioning in at least two of the following areas: communication, self-care, work, leisure, social/interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, health and safety skills, academic skills
• problems that appeared before age 18.

For more information on understanding developmental disabilities, see the Surrey Place website.

About terminology

A number of terms are used to describe global cognitive impairments. Some examples:

• mental retardation
• intellectual disability
• developmental disability
• learning disabled (used in Europe)

"Developmental disability" is the term most often used by people who have the condition and their families. However, developmental disability also includes conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (e.g., Asperger's syndrome). In this guide we are primarily talking about people who meet the DSM-IV criteria for mental retardation. You may not like the term, but meeting the criteria does have significant implications for treatment and eligibility for services.

Mental health problems

A mental health problem means that a person has:

a DSM-based diagnosis of a mental disorder by a psychologist or psychiatrist (e.g., a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia, a mood disorder such as bipolar disorder or a personality disorder such as borderline personality disorder)

or

some kind of challenging behaviour (e.g., aggression toward self or others, or destructive or sexually inappropriate behaviour).

To find out more about mental health problems, see the information about recognizing mental health problems or go to:

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• The Canadian Mental Health Association

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