Domains and perceived benefits of treatment among patients with and without co-occurring disorders in inpatient substance use treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Persons with substance use disorders often have comorbid psychiatric problems, and treating all problem domains is important for treatment success and recovery. This study examined reported interventions provided to patients as well as patients' reports of domains of help received, perceived areas of greatest benefit, and satisfaction with substance use disorder treatment. We also compared patients with co-occurring disorders and patients with only substance use disorders to see whether there were significant differences across groups on these measures.

METHODS: Patients receiving inpatient substance use treatment at clinics in Norway were recruited for the study; 85 completed a cross-sectional survey prior to discharge. Treatment personnel also completed a separate survey and gathered information from patient charts.

RESULTS: The most frequently provided treatment interventions involved improving relationships with family and important others, applied relaxation, psychodynamic therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing. Patients reported receiving the most help in domains of relapse prevention, physical health, daily functioning, relationships with people, psychological health, and self-esteem. They benefited most from physical activities, support from co-patients, group therapy, counseling, and assessment/treatment of psychological health. Patients with co-occurring disorders were given more exposure therapy, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavior therapy interventions than those without comorbidity. Patients with co-occurring disorders self-reported receiving more help with self-esteem and coping with psychiatric symptoms and benefiting more from interventions involving psychological health, acute help, and social situations.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients perceived psychological and physical health as important areas for improvement. There were differences between patients with co-occurring disorders and those with substance use disorders only in several measures. It is important to acknowledge that patients with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental problems are heterogeneous groups with unique but overlapping needs.