THE USE OF THE ADDICTION SEVERITY INDEX WITH PEOPLE WITH SEVERE MENTAL-ILLNESS

The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) is used increasingly with persons w ith severe mental illness and substance use disorders (SMISUD), despit e the lack of studies of its validity, reliability and general usefuln ess with this population. This paper addresses general usefulness thro ugh experiential data from interviewers and respondents with SMISUD. C oncerns are raised about the relevance of items to the life experience s and addictions problems of persons with SMISUD, the accuracy of resp ondent answers, and the limitations of standard administration procedu res. We conclude that the ASI interview requires enhancement of both c ontent and administration procedures to increase its usefulness for pe rsons with SMISUD.