Purpose
The Illinois Training Initiative to support people with Dual Diagnosis exists to identify state priorities in existing services for people with dual diagnosis, develop sustainable training to promote ongoing collaboration between the IDD and mental health systems, and consider any needed changes in policies and practices to promote access to services.
What is Dual Diagnosis?
Dual diagnosis refers to simultaneously experiencing an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) along with a mental health condition. IDD may encompass physical or cognitive limitations that impact essential life activities, while mental health disorders can involve medical, environmental, emotional, or psychiatric factors.
Intellectual disability and developmental disability are often referred to together using the IDD acronym. Intellectual disability involves a notable limitation in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior that manifests before the age of 18 and is a type of developmental disability. On the other hand, a developmental disability is a disability that arises during the developmental stage and may or may not involve intellectual limitations.1 Research shows that individuals with IDD have higher rates of mental health conditions compared to those without IDD,1,2 potentially up to four times more likely than the general population.3
People with IDD and co-occurring mental health conditions are often under-diagnosed, untreated, or inappropriately diagnosed because symptoms of mental illness often present differently in individuals with IDD. The process of accurately diagnosing psychiatric conditions becomes increasingly challenging as intellectual functioning decreases.4
What is the Dual Diagnosis Training Initiative?
The Illinois Training Initiative to Support People with Dual-Diagnosis is a collaboration between the UIC University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), Department of Disability and Human Development, and the UIC Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy (CMHSRP), Department of Psychiatry. The aims of this 5-year initiative are to:
- Identify needs and service gaps for people with dual-diagnosis including underserved communities through an environmental scan;
- Develop an action plan to improve coordination between service providers;
- Develop, implement, and disseminate sustainable training; and
- Sustain cross-systems integration.
The initiative has formed a Consortium Action Network (CAN) with members from state stakeholders, services providers, and people with disabilities. The CAN will work to identify state priorities in existing services for people with dual diagnosis, develop sustainable training to promote ongoing collaboration between the IDD and mental health systems, and consider any needed changes in policies and practices to promote access to services.
Funding is provided through a grant from the Administration of Community Living.
Our Team
Meet the team members of the Illinois Dual Diagnosis Training Initiative.
Tamar Heller
Co-principal Investigator
Judith Cook
Co-principal Investigator
Kueifang (Kelly) Hsieh
Co-Investigator
Frances Aranda
Co-Investigator
Caitlin Crab
Co-Investigator
Beth Marks
Co-Investigator
Randa Abdelrahim
Project Coordinator
T.J. Gordon
Self-Advocate Specialist
Jae Jin Pak
Consumer Advocate
Susan Kahan
Training Coordinator
Consortium Action Network (CAN)
The Consortium Action Network (CAN) will:
- Work on identifying state priorities in existing services for people with dual diagnoses.
- Develop sustainable training to promote ongoing collaboration between the two systems.
- Consider any needed changes in policies and practices to promote access to services.
The CAN partners meet quarterly and include representatives from the following organizations:
Administration on Community Living Grant #: 90DDTI0044-01-00; Illinois National Training Initiative to Support people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities with Co-Occurring Mental or Behavioral Disabilities.
Illinois Dual Diagnosis Training Initiative 