Assessment of Deaf dually diagnosed clients

Purpose - This article seeks to explore the assessment issues for Deaf people who have a co-occurring mental health and substance use problem. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws on the expertise of a clinician who works with this client group, also using the available literature on this topic. Findings - Dual diagnosis for Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users has not been well researched. Deaf people may be unable to access some forms of assessment/treatment due to compromised cognition, understanding of concepts, and material not being accessible in an appropriate format. This paper discusses an approach which may be of particular use to assessing this minority group. Originality/value - This paper considers an approach which may be of particular use to assessing this minority group. Although current techniques can be adapted such as cognitive-behavioural integrated treatment (C-BIT), there is a need for further research to evaluate and develop appropriate screening and assessment instruments for this client group.