Dual Diagnosis Self-Help Referral

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Dual Diagnosis
• Interventions: Behavioral: Intensive referral to dual-focused self-help

• Registration Number: NCT00286728
• Lead Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development

Brief Summary

This project will help counselors in substance abuse treatment programs make effective referrals of dually diagnosed patients (those with a co-occurring psychiatric disorder) to self-help groups.

Detailed Description

Background:

Dual diagnosis (psychiatric and substance use) patients' (DDPs) participation in 12-step mutual-help groups is linked to lower relapse and treatment utilization rates. However, under usual referral, many DDPs do not attend, or sustain attendance of, substance-focused groups (SFG). DDPs may benefit from dual-focused groups (DFGs).

Objectives:

(1) Implement and validate procedures to help counselors make effective referrals to DFGs. DDPs were assigned to a standard- or intensive-referral to DFG condition to determine the extent to which intensive referral, compared to standard referral, increased patients' mutual-help group participation. (2) Determine whether DDPs who received intensive referral had better substance use and psychiatric outcomes.

Methods:

DDPs entering VA outpatient mental health treatment received either standard (N=145) or intensive (N=142) referral. Standard referral consisted essentially of the counselor recommending DFG participation. The keys to intensive referral were a DFG orientation and the counselor facilitating direct contact between the patient and a DFG member, and following up on recommendations for mutual help. Patients were followed at six months (80%), one year (81%) and two years (80%) to determine whether intensive referral resulted in more DFG and SFG participation, and better substance use and psychiatric outcomes.

Status:

Completed.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2006-02-01
• Study First Submitted QC: 2006-02-01
• Study First Posted: 2006-02-03
• Study Start: 2006-04
• Primary Completion: 2010-09
• Study Completion: 2010-09
• Results First Submitted: 2014-09-15
• Results First Submitted QC: 2014-10-02
• Results First Posted: 2014-10-06
• Status Verified: 2019-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-04-29
• Last Update Posted: 2019-05-08

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 287

Inclusion Criteria

• Dually diagnosed veterans entering outpatient mental health treatment

Exclusion Criteria

• Unable to correctly answer the Orientation and Registration questions of the Mini-Mental State Examination

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Arm 1	Intensive referral to dual-focused self-help	Intensive referral to dual-focused self-help groups

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Psychiatric Functioning at 6 Months	6 months	Addiction Severity Index psychiatric composite ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 indicating more severe problems.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mental Health Services Use and Costs at 6 Months, 1 Year, and 2 Years	6 months, 1 year, 2 years

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA; 🇺🇸 Palo Alto, California, United States