Utilization of outpatient mental health services after inpatient alcoholism treatment

It is generally agreed that use of aftercare services following discharge from alcoholism treatment is optimum for patients to achieve long-term recovery. However, the quantity and duration of utilization of such services in non-experimental settings are generally unknown. Using secondary data sources, we studied 5,635 alcoholics completing formal extended inpatient treatment and 1,860 alcoholics discharged from brief inpatient hospitalizations in Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Weekly use of outpatient mental health services (OPMH) prior to hospital admission was equally low for both patient groups (approximately 2-3% of patients) until four weeks prior to admission, at which time OPMH use increased, particularly for the extended treatment group. In the four weeks after discharge, use of OPMH services was substantially higher for patients with extended treatment compared to those with brief hospitalizations (40% vs. 18%), with 22% of patients completing treatment utilizing such services in the first week after discharge. Utilization steadily decreased until only 8% and 4% of both groups, respectively, were using OPMH services at the end of six months after discharge. Study results suggest the need to examine barriers to outpatient mental health utilization after discharge as well as interventions to increase compliance with long-term aftercare.