E. Gottheil et al., A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT FOR COCAINE DEPENDENCE, Psychiatric services, 49(6), 1998, pp. 782-787
Objective: A randomized controlled study design was used to compare th
e effectiveness of intensive outpatient treatment with individual outp
atient counseling and a combination of individual and group outpatient
counseling for cocaine-dependent patients. Methods: Volunteers for th
is study were recruited from among first admissions to an inner-city,
public-sector outpatient substance abuse clinic. In-treatment, end-of-
treatment, and nine-month follow-up assessments were compared for part
icipants randomly assigned for 12 weeks to one of three treatment moda
lities-weekly individual outpatient counseling, weekly individual coun
seling plus one weekly group session, or a newly designed intensive gr
oup treatment program consisting of three hours of group treatment thr
ee days a week. Results and conclusions: Patients who completed the in
tensive program showed significant improvement from intake to end-of-t
reatment scores on the Addiction Severity Index, the Beck Depression I
nventory, and the Symptom Checklist. At nine-month follow-up, patients
who had remained in treatment longer had fewer drug problems, a small
er proportion of positive urine drug screening tests, a better employm
ent status, and fewer psychological problems compared with patients wh
o left treatment earlier. Patients who remained in treatment were also
more likely to be attending self-help meetings, continuing in outpati
ent treatment, or attending school. However, for the 447 patients rand
omly assigned to the three conditions, there were no significant diffe
rences between treatment modalities on any of the variables at nine-mo
nth follow-up. The new intensive treatment program was not shown to be
superior to more traditional treatment programs.