From Dual Diagnosis to Dual Disorder(s): Bridging Comorbidity and Integrated Clinical Understanding

Dear Colleagues,

Dual diagnosis—the co-occurrence of psychiatric and substance use disorders—poses one of the most complex challenges in contemporary clinical practice. Traditionally conceptualized as two coexisting conditions, recent frameworks propose a shift toward the notion of dual disorder, understood as a single clinical entity with shared vulnerability, pathophysiology, and treatment needs.

This Special Issue aims to foster a critical reflection on dual diagnosis, welcoming both traditional approaches and innovative models that integrate psychopathological, neurobiological, and therapeutic dimensions.

We invite submissions from psychiatry, addiction medicine, clinical psychology, neuroscience, and public health. Articles may address epidemiological, diagnostic, neurobiological, clinical, or service-related aspects of dual diagnosis and dual disorders, including theoretical and translational contributions.

Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Epidemiology and nosology of dual diagnosis;
• Clinical pathways and diagnostic challenges;
• Neurobiology and genetics of dual disorders;
• Early identification and developmental trajectories;
• Substance-specific patterns of comorbidity;
• Self-medication theory and its clinical implications;
• Pharmacological and psychological treatment approaches;
• Integrated and multidisciplinary care models;
• Dual diagnosis in vulnerable groups (e.g., adolescents, women, forensic patients).

Dr. Angelo Giovanni Icro Maremmani
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.