Pharmacotherapeutic management strategies for mentally ill substance abusers

In order to determine psychiatrists' strategies for managing the pharmacotherapy and treatment of mentally ill substance abusers, the authors constructed a series of standardized clinical vignettes, each with five multiple-choice treatment interventions. The vignettes, based on clinical experience, depict difficult dilemmas involving the use of medication in the treatment of a variety of dually diagnosed patients. The authors surveyed a heterogeneous reference group of 112 psychiatrists with these vignettes. The psychometric properties of the resultant Scale for Treatment Integration of the Dually Diagnosed (STIDD) are briefly described. The ten vignettes and the treatment interventions chosen by the reference group are described in detail. The results indicate that most clinicians favor an integrated treatment approach which attempts to address both diagnoses.