Clinical correlates of desire for treatment for current alcohol dependence among patients with a primary psychiatric disorder

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Rates of treatment-seeking for alcohol use disorders are notably low. To elucidate the clinical correlates of treatment-seeking for alcoholism, this study compared patients with current alcohol dependence and a primary psychiatric diagnosis who endorsed a desire for alcoholism treatment to patients who refused treatment or who were unsure.

Method: A total of 131 (54 females) psychiatric outpatients with current alcohol dependence completed an intake assessment at a large hospital-based psychiatric clinic and at the end of the intake were asked whether they would like to receive treatment for alcohol problems.

Results: Compared with alcohol-dependent patients who refused treatment for alcoholism or who were unsure (n = 46), patients who expressed a desire for treatment (n = 85) were older, were more likely to be female, reported higher levels of social impairments, and were more likely to endorse the following alcohol dependence symptoms: (i) multiple unsuccessful efforts or persistent desire to stop or cut down on their drinking; and (ii) drinking more than intended.

Conclusions: Approximately, 35% of patients who met current DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence reported no interest (or were unsure) in alcoholism treatment despite being engaged in treatment-seeking for another psychiatric disorder.

Scientific Significance: These findings extend previous epidemiological studies documenting treatment-seeking patterns for alcoholism by identifying clinical features associated with interest in treatment for this disorder among psychiatric outpatients.

• alcohol dependence
• treatment
• diagnosis
• desire for treatment

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The MIDAS project was supported, in part, by grants MH48732 and MH56404 from the National Institute of Mental Health (Bathesda, MD, USA), LAR were supported by a grant (T32 AA007459) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (Bathesda, MD, USA).

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.