Optional versus mandatory psychotherapy in methadone maintenance

Treatment outcomes of 23 methadone maintenance patients who were offered optional psychotherapy were compared with those of 31 methadone maintenance patients who received mandatory psychotherapy. There were no statistically significant differences in pretreatment characteristics between the optional group and the mandatory group. Patients in the optional group received less than half as many hours of therapy as patients in the mandatory group. Differences between the two groups in retention, employment, illicit drug use, and arrests were nonsignificant during a 1-year study period. The findings were compatible with those of most previous studies of the effectiveness of psychotherapy in methadone maintenance, which suggest that outcomes with or without psychotherapy do not differ significantly.