Consumers of vocational rehabilitation services diagnosed with psychiatric and substance use disordersJournal of Rehabilitation, July-Sept, 2009
This study sought to investigate the prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders among a sample of persons receiving vocational rehabilitation services and to explore "recovery-related" factors and their association with employment outcomes for VR consumers who have dual psychiatric and substance use disorders.
The findings suggest that consumers with severe mental illness and coexisting substance abuse are not accessing the public vocational rehabilitation program at a rate proportionate to their prominence in the general population. There was also no support illustrated for the relationship between "recovery-related" factors and employment outcomes. While several study limitations likely impeded any significant results, it is also relevant to examine the VR system and to further research the benefit of a "recovery"-themed platform in the VR system. Fully incorporating this construct could "create the possibility of a radically more responsive and effective service system" (Torrey, Rapp, Van Tosh, McNabb, & Ralph, 2005, p. 98).
Future research which explores the potential utility of emphasizing "recovery" as a key aspect of the VR system and which further seeks to operationalize recovery-related concepts is imperative to continued success of persons with co-occurring psychiatric and substance abuse disorders in the VR system.
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