Utilization of Psychosocial Treatments by Patients Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Substance Dependence

• Published in: The American journal on addictions Vol. 9; no. 4; pp. 314 - 320
• Main Authors: Weiss, Roger D., Kolodziej, Monika E., Najavits, Lisa M., Greenfield, Shelly F., Fucito, Lisa M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Informa UK Ltd 2000; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Aftercare - psychology; Alcoholics Anonymous; Alcoholism - psychology; Alcoholism - rehabilitation; Bipolar Disorder - psychology; Bipolar Disorder - rehabilitation; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Psychotherapy; Recurrence; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Substance-Related Disorders - rehabilitation
• ISSN: 1055-0496; 1521-0391
• DOI: 10.1080/105504900750047364

We investigated psychosocial treatment interventions, mood symptoms, and substance use among 24 patients with bipolar disorder and substance dependence. Patients were assessed for 6 months following hospital discharge. Psychotherapy and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) attendance decreased over time. Moreover, the focus of patients' psychotherapy changed over time, with decreasing emphasis on the patients' specific disorders. Mood symptoms and substance use did not change significantly over time, although there was a trend toward more frequent drug use over time. These findings point to infrequent utilization over time of psychosocial treatments focusing specifically on bipolar and substance use disorder. (Am J Addict 2000;9:314–320)