Related Experiment Videos
Problems in the recognition and treatment of patients with dual diagnoses
R N Milling1, L R Faulkner, J M Craig
1Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of South Carolina School of Medicine.
Background:
This study was to find if the dually diagnosed in a teaching psychiatric hospital were being adequately identified and treated.
Method:
The records of 200 adult inpatients were reviewed for psychiatric diagnoses, the presence of a history of substance abuse, and the kinds of treatment rendered those patients.
Results:
Forty-three percent of the patients admitted were found to have a history of substance abuse, but 31.4% of these had a history of substance abuse in the record without a formal diagnosis. Major depression (26.6%) and schizophrenia (18.7%) were the most frequent diagnoses. Half of the patients received no documented treatment for substance abuse. The most common intervention was education by the nursing staff.
Conclusions:
There is a clear need for better recognition and treatment of the dually diagnosed patient.