Incorporating Alcohol and Substance Use Care Into a Trauma and Traumatic Brain Injury Massed-Treatment Program for...

Area of Science:

• Military Health
• Psychiatry
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are prevalent among service members and veterans, often co-occurring with substance use disorders.
• The Intensive Clinical Program (ICP) offers massed treatment for PTSD and TBI.
• The ICP Dual Recovery (DR) supplement was developed to enhance access and completion for individuals with co-occurring substance use issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the DR supplement for veterans and active duty service members (ADSM).
• To compare program completion rates and treatment outcomes between DR patients and non-DR patients.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study of 1,276 patients attending the ICP between November 2021 and September 2024.
• Analysis of baseline demographics, program completion rates, and pre- and post-treatment outcomes for substance use, mental health, and TBI.
• Comparison between DR and non-DR patient groups.

Main Results:

• Dual recovery patients were more likely to be male veterans, particularly from the Marine Corps.
• Program completion rates were high and similar between DR (94.2%) and non-DR (95.9%) groups.
• Despite higher baseline substance use, DR patients achieved equivalent or superior post-treatment outcomes compared to non-DR patients.

Conclusions:

• The DR supplement is a feasible and effective model for concurrent care.
• Integrating substance use treatment with massed trauma and TBI care is supported by these findings.
• This approach can improve outcomes for service members and veterans with complex needs.