Symptom severity, amount of treatment, and 1-year outcomes among dual diagnosis patients.

Abstract

This study reports on associations among symptom severity, amount of treatment, and 1-year outcomes in a national sample of 8,622 dual diagnosis patients, who were classified at treatment entry into low-, moderate-, and high-severity groups. Patients with more severe symptoms at intake had poorer 1-year outcomes. Higher severity patients did not receive adequate "doses" of care: Compared with low-severity patients, they had a shorter duration of care, although a longer duration was associated with improved outcomes; they also were less likely to receive outpatient substance abuse treatment, although more intensive treatment was associated with better drug outcomes. High-severity patients improved more on drug and legal outcomes, but less on psychiatric and family/social outcomes, than low-severity patients did when treatment was of longer duration or higher intensity. Dual diagnosis patients with highly severe symptoms would likely benefit from a longer episode of care that includes substance abuse and psychiatric outpatient treatment.

• Authors: Christine Timko, Rudolf H Moos
• Journal: Administration and policy in mental health (Adm Policy Ment Health) Vol. 30 Issue 1 Pg. 35-54 (Sep 2002) ISSN: 0894-587X [Print] United States
• PMID: 12546255 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)

Topics

• Analysis of Variance
• Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry)
• Female
• Humans
• Interview, Psychological
• Male
• Mental Disorders (classification, diagnosis, rehabilitation)
• Middle Aged
• Severity of Illness Index
• Substance-Related Disorders (classification, diagnosis, rehabilitation)
• Treatment Outcome
• United States