Substance Abuse - Objective 5 Objective 5 Describe methods for assessing the level of severity of substance abuse problems. Substance abuse assessment is the further investigation of patients whose positive screening results indicate that substance abuse is likely, and, whose responses to the questions in a brief assessment suggest that compulsion to use, impaired control, presence of other psychosocial problems, or absence of social support will render brief assessment ineffective. If one thinks of screening as triage, then assessment is acquiring the information needed to direct a patient to appropriate treatment.
Professional position is less important than specific training for performing accurate assessments.
It is highly recommended that referral to an experienced substance abuse specialist be made whenever possible for a full assessment of a patients substance abuse problems. Discuss the impact of culture and gender on the effort to assess substance abuse problems. Discuss the potential complications in assessment efforts with patients with comorbid mental disorders. Discuss the use of lab tests in a full substance abuse assessment. Compare and contrast the DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse and substance dependence.