The treatment mapping survey; a descriptive study of drug and alcohol treatment responses in 23 countries

This WHO key informant survey looked at services for the treatment of drug and alcohol problems in 23 different countries. Not surprisingly, there were many differences between treatment responses in the different countries. However, the survey also revealed many similarities in treatment responses. Most countries are confronted by problems of scarcity of resources for substance abuse treatment and many countries also noted the inadequate levels of staff training. Treatment was often primarily delivered in a non-residential setting (especially for alcohol problems). However, some countries treated drug and alcohol problems mainly in residential or inpatient settings. Psychiatrists were one of the professional groups most frequently involved in treatment, and the psychiatric hospital is one of the most common treatment locations. Most key informants reported a lack of basic information about the effectiveness of particular treatment interventions and treatment programmes. Drug services and alcohol treatment services were generally integrated in terms of staff, location, or treatment programmes and in some countries this integration was a feature of the national treatment system. Sometimes the integration of drug and alcohol treatment services was due to the scarcity of national treatment resources. Not all countries operated an integrated drug and alcohol treatment system. In several countries drug and alcohol treatment services were usually provided separately, and a number of countries expressed a preference for this independence. Countries also differed in the extent to which they provided drug or alcohol treatment in conjunction with other health care services with about half of the countries operating with close links with health care services and the other half operating largely independently.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)