Longitudinal effects of integrated treatment on alcohol use for persons with serious mental illness and substance use disorders

A randomized experimental design was used to assign participants to an inte grated mental health and substance use treatment program or to standard hos pital treatment. A multilevel, nonlinear model was used to estimate hospita l treatment effects on days of alcohol use for persons with serious mental illness and substance use disorders over 18 months. The integrated treatmen t program had a significant effect on the rate of alcohol use at 2 months p ostdischarge, reducing the rate of use by 54%. Motivation for sobriety at h ospital discharge, posttreatment self-help attendance, and social support f or sobriety were also found to reduce the rate of use during the follow-up period. Implications for mental health treatment and aftercare support are discussed.