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Katherine, M. Harris, PhD, Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, 16-105, Rockville, MD 20857, 301.443.0747, kharris@samhsa.gov
This presentation examines associations between past month alcohol use and past year substance abuse treatment and the use of mental health care for three subgroups of alcohol dependent individuals: (1) those without mental health symptoms, (2) those with one or more mental health symptoms without serious mental illness (SMI), and (3) those with SMI. Data are from a nationally representative sample of over 6,000 adults with DSM-IV alcohol dependence in the 2001-2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Logit models were used to generate predicted changes in the likelihood of past month drinking associated with the use of either substance abuse treatment and mental health care or both. Preliminary results suggest controlling for mental health care use decreases the predicted percentage point reduction in alcohol use associated with substance abuse treatment in the two subgroups with mental health symptoms by roughly 40 percent. Mental health care use is associated with a percentage point reduction of 5.2 in the subgroup with one or more symptoms (p<.05) and 4.3 (p<.10) in the SMI subgroup. Our findings suggest that studies that do not measure subjects' the use of mental health care may overstate the effects of substance abuse treatment in reducing substance use. These findings highlight the potential role of mental health care in the treatment of substance use disorders in the subpopulation of alcohol dependent individuals with co occurring mental disorders.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to
Keywords: Mental Health, Substance Abuse Treatment
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.