Psychological consultation with substance abusers

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Addiction Psychiatry

Background:

• Previous research indicates psychological consultation impacts substance abuser compliance during inpatient detoxification.
• Existing literature describes administrative and clinical/humanistic components of detoxification programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an individualized psychological consultation intervention for substance abusers in detoxification.
• To propose a self-psychological model for understanding the detoxifying substance abuser.

Main Methods:

• The consultative intervention aligns with the tripartite model of mental health (practitioner, patient, cultural perspectives).
• A self-psychological framework is applied to conceptualize the patient's progression through detoxification.
• The hospital environment and its personnel are analyzed for their role in providing self-object functions.

Main Results:

• The proposed self-psychological model illustrates the detoxifying substance abuser's journey from loss of cohesiveness to personality stabilization.
• The hospital setting and staff offer crucial framework and self-object functions (mirroring, idealizing, alter ego) during treatment.

Conclusions:

• Individualized psychological consultation is a key factor in enhancing patient compliance during substance abuse detoxification.
• Self-psychology offers a valuable lens for understanding the psychological dynamics of detoxifying individuals.
• Further empirical research is recommended to investigate the psychology of the detoxifying addict.