Substance use issues and mental health disorders often co-occur. Although there is an increasing amount of evidence for the benefits of concurrently treating mental health and substance use issues, barriers to effective treatment persist. Stigma and a fractured treatment system may result in failures to recognise that people with substance use issues require unique individualised treatment, which can have a detrimental effect on care. However, nurses are in an ideal position to engage with people who have mental health and substance use issues.

This article explores concurrent disorders as conceptualised in Canadian academic literature and practice guidelines, and reframes the nursing approach to mental health and substance use issues. It suggests a reconceptualisation of the concurrent disorders by adopting a positive health approach to improve treatment services.