Purpose The aim of this investigation was to compare the effects of two types of community-based, residential treatment programs among justice involved persons with dual diagnoses. Design/methodology A randomized clinical trial examined treatment conditions among justice involved persons with substance use disorders who reported high baseline levels of psychiatric severity indicative of diagnosable psychiatric comorbidity. Participants (n = 39) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions upon discharge from inpatient treatment for substance use disorders: a professionally staffed, integrated residential treatment setting (therapeutic community), a self-run residential setting (Oxford House), or a treatment-specific aftercare referral (usual care). Levels of psychiatric severity, a global estimate of current psychopathological problem severity, were measured at two years as the outcome. Findings Participants randomly assigned to residential conditions reported significant reductions in psychiatric severity whereas those assigned to the usual care condition reported significant increases. There were no significant differences in psychiatric severity levels between residential conditions. Research limitations/implications Findings suggest that cost-effective, self-run residential settings such as Oxford Houses provide benefits comparable to professionally-run residential integrated treatments for justice involved persons who have dual diagnoses. Social implications Results support the utilization of low-cost, community-based treatments for a highly marginalized population. Originality/value Little is known about residential treatments that reduce psychiatric severity for this population. Results extend the body of knowledge regarding the effects of community-based, residential integrated treatment and the Oxford House model.
ObjectivesDementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a debilitating disorder associated with a number of distressing neuropsychiatric symptoms. There is currently limited guidance regarding the most effective strategies of managing these symptoms, and both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies are often used. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been reported as a potential nonpharmacologic method to alleviate some of these debilitating neuropsychiatric symptoms. However, there remains a paucity of evidence in current literature. This report aims to add to existing literature regarding ECT in DLB by highlighting successful treatment in seven cases.MethodsOur study is a retrospective case series of 7 patients with DLB who received treatment with ultrabrief (UB) right unilateral (RUL) ECT for the treatment of agitation and depressive symptoms. Participants included patients with a diagnosis of DLB who were admitted to Emory University Hospital at Wesley Woods from 2011 to 2020 presenting with agitation and/or depressive symptoms after failing pharmacologic intervention. Patients underwent UB RUL ECT administered by a board-certified psychiatrist. After treatment, Pittsburg Agitation Scale and Clinical Global Impression—Improvement scales were recorded as measures of agitation and clinical improvement, respectively.ResultsAll 7 patients responded to UB RUL ECT with marked improvement in their presenting symptoms of agitation and/or depression without significant adverse effects from treatment.ConclusionsUltrabrief RUL ECT seems to be a safe and effective treatment of the agitative and depressive features of DLB.
The relationship between abstinence self-efficacy and substance use at 2 years was examined among a sample (N = 470) of persons with substance use disorders and recent incarceration histories. Participants were assigned to residential (therapeutic community/TC or Oxford House) or nonresidential (usual care) conditions. The authors hypothesized abstinence self-efficacy would predict decreased substance use, and residential treatments would moderate this relationship. A conditional effect was observed, with low levels of abstinence self-efficacy predicting significant increases in substance use in the TC and usual care conditions. Supplemental analyses revealed significant decreases in substance use over time among participants in the Oxford House condition, and a significant conditional effect (gender x treatment condition) in relation to substance use. Findings point to the need for researchers to examine factors that mitigate the relationship between abstinence self-efficacy and substance use outcomes, and for treatment providers to consider the Oxford House model for this population.
Individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) endorse high rates of combustible smoking (Zale et al., 2015) which is associated with poorer outcomes (e.g., opioid craving and lower detoxification completion rates) among individuals receiving medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD;Mannelli et al., 2013) and lower smoking cessation rates (Okoli et al., 2010). The complex pharmacological relationship between opioids and nicotine may help explain these findings (Kohut, 2017); however, little is known about psychosocial variables that influence MOUD processes among combustible smokers with OUD. The present study sought to expand upon prior work (Mannelli et al., 2013) by examining the impact of psychological factors and smoking-related variables on opioid withdrawal symptoms among smokers with OUD receiving Suboxone at an inpatient substance use treatment facility. Current smokers with OUD (N = 64) completed a battery of psychological measures examining depression, anxiety, and smoking constructs. The present study tested the influence of daily smoking rate, nicotine dependence, smoking urges, anxiety, and depression on opioid withdrawal symptoms through a hierarchical multiple regression. Findings revealed that smoking urges ( p = .003) predicted severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms while controlling for race, daily smoking rate, and nicotine dependence. Depression ( p = .000), however, explained variance in severity of opioid withdrawal symptoms above and beyond all smoking-related variables and anxiety. Results highlight the importance of considering psychological factors, specifically depression, which impact treatment processes among smokers with OUD to help inform the development of effective treatment interventions for both OUD and smoking cessation among individuals with OUD.
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