Prevalence of Polysubstance Abuse and Dual Diagnosis in Patients Admitted to Alcohol Rehabilitation Units for Alcohol-Related Problems in Italy: Changes in 15 Years

Abstract

The results of this study suggest that further research is needed to identify the best treatment strategy that is safe and effective for the new population of alcoholics.

Frequency and Predictors of Alcohol-Related Outcomes Following Alcohol Residential Rehabilitation Programs: A 12-Month Follow-Up Study

“…These relapse rates are certainly lower compared to those reported in the literature. This high rate of abstinence seems to be confirmed at 12-month follow-up and may suggest that this rehabilitation approach, characterized by short duration (28-day), high intensity and complexity of interventions (physical, psychological and family-related), multi-professional intervention (medical, psychological and educational services), and elaboration of an aftercare project [5,11,27] could have contributed to provide positive outcomes.…”

“…Additionally, findings showed that patients with dual diagnosis had a decreased probability of no alcohol related hospitalization compared to other patients. The increased risk of patients with dual diagnosis for alcohol related hospitalization can be explained by the fact that they are more likely to seek treatment than individuals with a single disorder because of the functional impairment and distress they experience from their co-occurring disorder [27]. It is well known that treatment of patients with dual diagnosis is more challenging: They are more likely to have significant deterioration in social functioning, suffer from medical disorders, fail to maintain a stable financial situation, and come into conflict with the law [30].…”

“…Terra and colleagues [21] showed, in a sample of 300 Brazilian alcoholic patients, that previous treatment for alcohol dependence and being single were significantly associated with relapse at six months following treatment. Moreover, several studies have reported a high prevalence of co-occurrence of alcohol use disorder and psychiatric disorders [25,26,27,28,29]. However, the condition where alcohol dependence is accompanied by another mental disturbance can be underestimated because patients asking for a psychiatric consultation usually do not spontaneously reveal their risk behaviors related to drinking [30].…”

“…For example, Martinotti et al [28] found high proportions of alcohol users in psychiatric patients, ranging from 65.5% (patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia) to 88.9% (patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder). A recent study [27] examined change over the last 20 years of alcohol-dependent patients and found a significant increment of patients admitted to residential programs for alcohol dependence with polysubstance abuse and/or dual psychiatric diagnosis. However, a limited number of studies focused on the relationship between dual diagnosis and treatment outcomes [19], and many studies exploring predictors of posttreatment drinking outcomes included relatively small sample sizes [14] enrolled from one clinic [15], which reduces the generalizability of results.…”

Hair Analysis to Evaluate Polydrug Use

“…These factors imply that polydrug use is a complex phenomenon, making it difficult to estimate the real entity and its change over time. Generally, the studies in this field have documented polydrug use among a selected population [3][4][5][6]. There is a paucity of literature of polydrug use in general populations [7,8].…”