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Background to the establishment of the Dual Diagnosis Unit
People with intellectual developmental disabilities are entitled, like everyone else, to receive all
the services they need in the community, including mental health services.
In 1998 Israel’s Knesset enacted the Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities Act. The law
is based on fundamental principles of equality and human dignity for all. “The rights of people
with disabilities and the obligation of Israeli society toward these rights are founded upon
recognition of the principle of equality, on man's worth - created in God's image - and on the
principle of respect for all human beings.” The law anchors the right of every person with
disabilities to equal participation in community life. The concept of equal participation relates,
among other things, to the right of people with disabilities to receive all the services they need
in the community framework, appropriate to their special needs, in privacy and with respect,
and in a manner that assures them opportunities for realization of their capabilities. The Equal
Opportunities for People with Disabilities Act makes society responsible for finding ways to
enable all people with disabilities to integrate in the community, and adapting the environment
and the services to their needs.
In 2012 the State of Israel ratified the International Convention on the Rights of People with
Disabilities. Article 3, which deals with the principles of the convention, sets out, among other
things, the following three principles: Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with
disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity (sub-article 4); Equality of opportunity (sub-
article 5); and Accessibility (sub-article 6). These principles, which are in line with the approach
of the Equal Opportunities Act, require the state to make determined efforts to implement
them.
The increasing trend of care within the community and inclusion in society in Israel and around
the world demands the development and adaptation of all the services provided in the
community for people with various disabilities, including mental health services for people with
intellectual disabilities. The mental health system is committed today to investing the necessary
resources in making its services accessible and appropriate to this special population.
In 2006, in light of appeals by families and professionals complaining of great distress and the
lack of appropriate response, Beit Issie Shapiro decided to take steps to promote an accessible
response in the community adapted to this population, and to establish a unique service as a
model for optimal services for people with Dual Diagnosis – intellectual disability and psychiatric
/ mental problems. In the first stage, we established professional contacts with people in
Canada, Britain, and the United States providing services in this field. In the second stage, we
raised funds to develop an appropriate model in Israel. Together with the Department of
Psychological Medicine at Schneider Children's Medical Center, we set up the first ambulatory
service of its kind in Israel – a community unit specializing in treating people with Dual
Diagnosis. The unit has a multidisciplinary staff, and provides diagnostic and therapeutic services
and guidance for people with disabilities, their families, and the people treating them in their
everyday lives.
The unit, inaugurated in 2009 and funded by donations, acquired knowledge and expertise in
the field and designed a working model that is unique in the make-up of its staff and in its work