Clinical trial NCT00286728: Dual Diagnosis Self-Help Referral
Official title: Dual Diagnosis Self-Help Group Referral: Outcomes and Services Use
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Dual Diagnosis
Keywords: self-help groups
referral and consultation
Lead sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Sponsor class: FED
First posted: 2006-02-03
Enrollment: 287
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

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.

Eligibility criteria: 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Psychiatric Functioning at 6 Months
timeFrame: 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Mental Health Services Use and Costs at 6 Months, 1 Year, and 2 Years
timeFrame: 6 months, 1 year, 2 years
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Palo Alto
country: United States
facility: VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
name: Christine Timko, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Timko C, Sutkowi A, Moos R. Patients with dual diagnoses or substance use disorders only: 12-step group participation and 1-year outcomes. Subst Use Misuse. 2010 Mar;45(4):613-27. doi: 10.3109/10826080903452421.
citation: Timko C. Detoxification history and two-year outcomes of substance use disorder treatment and mutual-help group participation. Journal of drug issues. 2013 Jun 17; 20(10):1-18.
citation: Makin-Byrd K, Cronkite RC, Timko C. The influence of abuse victimization on attendance and involvement in mutual-help groups among dually diagnosed male veterans. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2011 Jul;41(1):78-87. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2011.02.001. Epub 2011 Mar 10.
citation: Timko C, Cronkite RC, McKellar J, Zemore S, Moos RH. Dually diagnosed patients' benefits of mutual-help groups and the role of social anxiety. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2013 Feb;44(2):216-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2012.05.007. Epub 2012 Jul 3.