Presented by Dr Louise Thornton Bio UNSW Vice-Chancellor Post-Doctoral Fellow within the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales and the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use. Her current research interests include: the role the mobile, Internet and web 2.0 technologies in improving health and health research; and how patient’s engagement with lifestyle interventions can be improved using these technologies.

Presentation synopsis Co-occurring substance use and mental health problems are a major health issue. Substance use among people with mental health problems is highly prevalent and substance use in this population is linked to range adverse consequences including symptom worsening, increased hospitalization rates, suicide and suicide attempts, and increased risk of victimization. In her presentation Dr Thornton will provide an overview of the issue of co-occurring substance use and mental health problems and outline current and future directions for research and treatment in this area.