[Social competencies of persons with a dual diagnosis--literature review]

Abstract

Therapy and rehabilitation of mentally ill persons abusing alcohol and other psychoactive substances have recently become a growing problem. Rehabilitation of these patients is particularly difficult because of the number of deficits accompanying schizophrenia. These deficits make traditional methods of substance dependence treatment impossible to apply in the case of mentally ill persons. The article presents results of the studies on cognitive deficits and limited social competencies of persons suffering from schizophrenia and dependent on alcohol and other psychoactive substances. We also present two treatment programmes which involve improvement of social competencies.