Antisocial personality disorder in patients with substance abuse disorders: a problematic diagnosis?

Article Abstract:

Studies utilizing the criteria set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition (DSM-III) and the revised third edition have found a high incidence of antisocial personality disorder in patients also diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder. For example, recent studies show that between 40 and 50 percent of male alcoholic and opiate addict patients also have an antisocial personality disorder. A flaw in methodology that has created some diagnostic confusion is that the behavioral criteria emphasized in the DSM-III and the DSM-III-R do not require that antisocial behavior exist separately from patterns of substance abuse. In a review of the literature on both disorders, the authors have summarized the development of the current understanding of these two disorders. However, there still remains a large amount of disagreement on how to distinguish the two conditions. Some professionals feel that substance abuse merely induces antisocial behavior problems such as irresponsibility and impulsive actions. Another point of view is that substance abuse is an antisocial behavior in itself, which amplifies existing antisocial tendencies. Affective disorders, including anxiety and depression, have also been connected with both of these conditions. A number of general similarities are often observed between patients with antisocial personalities and those with substance abuse disorders. Poorer prognoses are associated with individuals who are positively diagnosed with both. The relationship between these two disorders is complex and is still not fully understood. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Substance abuse

---

Outcomes for cocaine abusers after once-a-week psychosocial therapy

Article Abstract:

Cocaine addiction is perhaps the most troublesome of the illicit substance addictions. Its use has increased since the mid-1980s, unlike other illicit drugs. While several studies have looked at the social and psychological characteristics of cocaine abusers, few have looked at the long-term effects of treatment and use-patterns over time. In the present investigation, 122 adults with cocaine abuse disorder were studied. Subjects were randomly assigned to once-weekly sessions in one of three treatment groups: family therapy, individual psychotherapy, or group therapy. After initial contact, subjects were reassessed 6 to 12 months later. The subjects' cocaine abuse history ranged from 1 to 31 years, with an average of 8 years. Most subjects were nonwhite and male. On pre- and post-treatment scores on the Addiction Severity Index, improvements were seen for all subjects as a whole, but most of the overall improvement involved the 23 subjects (19 percent) who were not using cocaine at follow-up. Abstinence was the only factor associated with a reduction in family and psychiatric problems. Ninety-nine of the original subjects were still using cocaine at follow-up. It is concluded that psychotherapy once a week is not an effective treatment for cocaine abusers. The number of therapy sessions attended was not related to improvement. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Cocaine abuse

---

Ability to form an alliance with the therapist: a possible marker of prognosis for patients with antisocial personality disorder

Article Abstract:

Patients with antisocial personality disorder are generally thought to reject treatment, particularly psychotherapy. This study measured the ability of 48 patients with the disorder to form a working relationship with a psychotherapist or drug counselor. Some antisocial patients were able to form working relationships with their therapists. Those who did had more successful treatment results. Measures of this ability, such as the Helping Alliance Questionnaire, may help identify patients with antisocial personality disorders who can benefit from psychotherapy. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Social aspects, Prognosis, Therapist-patient relations, Psychotherapist and patient

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Psychosocial mediators of antiretroviral nonadherence in HIV-positive adults with substance use and mental health problems
• Abstracts: Time and number discrimination in a bisection task with a sequence of stimuli: A developmental approach. Does the coordination of verbal and motor information explain the development of counting in children?
• Abstracts: Urban and rural differences in the relationship between substance use and violence
• Abstracts: Genetic and environmental influences on extreme personality dispositions in adolescent female twins. Latent class analysis of ADHD and comorbid symptoms in a populations sample of adolescent female twins
• Abstracts: Major depression in patients with social phobia. Panic disorder and the menstrual cycle: panic disorder patients, healthy control subjects, and patients with premenstrual syndrome

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.