Networking Psychiatry and Addiction Services: Real-World Data and Perspectives on the Integration between Community Mental Health and Addiction Services in Settimo Torinese

Giovanni Francesco Asinari

doi:10.53941/cna.2026.100014

Abstract

This observational study describes the collaborative model between a Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) and an Addiction Service (Servizio per le Dipendenze, SerD) within a local healthcare setting in the Piedmont Region of Italy. The study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of patients jointly managed by the two services and to identify the factors underlying different levels of psychiatric intervention. Clinical records were retrospectively reviewed, collecting demographic data, psychiatric diagnoses, primary substance of abuse, and type of intervention provided by the CMHC. The findings highlight a clinically heterogeneous population with distinct profiles according to the primary substance of abuse. Patients with crack cocaine use disorder were younger, more frequently affected by psychotic disorders and personality disorders, and were more often managed through intensive multidisciplinary care. Patients with heroin use disorder showed more chronic clinical trajectories and were predominantly managed through psychiatric consultation. Patients with alcohol use disorder were generally older and commonly presented with depressive disorders. However, multivariate analysis suggested that the intensity of psychiatric intervention was more strongly associated with psychiatric diagnosis than with the primary substance of abuse itself. These findings suggest that close collaboration between Community Mental Health Centers and Addiction Services may promote a more appropriate allocation of healthcare resources, reduce overlap between services, and tailor interventions according to patients’ psychiatric and care needs. The proposed model may provide a useful framework for future research and for the development of more structured and transferable models of integrated care.

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