MENTALLY-ILL CHEMICAL ABUSERS IN RESIDENTIAL-TREATMENT PROGRAMS - EFFECTS OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY ON LEVELS OF FUNCTIONING

Measures of psychopathology among mentally ill chemical abusers (MICAs ) were examined as predictors of levels of functioning in two types of community based, residential programs: therapeutic community (TC) and community residence (CR). Non-significant associations were generally observed between scales of psychiatric symptoms (e.g., depression, ps ychotic ideation, cognitive disorientation, and hostility) and counsel ors' ratings of the residents' capacity to meet the social and interpe rsonal expectations of the programs (e.g., personal care, involvement in interpersonal relationships, and development of work skills). The s tudy suggests that individuals with moderately severe psychopathology can be successfully engaged in residential treatment, even in programs with relatively high expectations for interpersonal involvement and f unctioning, such as the therapeutic community. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scien ce Inc.