Definition:
Informal collaboration ensures that both mental health disorder and substance use disorders are sufficiently understood by all participating providers to allow effective identification, engagement, prevention, and early intervention.
An example of this type of collaboration would be a telephone request from one professional to another for information or general advice regarding the origins and clinical course of depression in an average person abusing alcohol or drugs. Discussion of a particular client usually does not occur or occurs at a relatively general level.
See also collaboration and service integration.