HealthDay (10/7, Preidt) reports that, according to a study published online in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, when it comes to treating a substance abuser suffering from a severe mental disorder, “treating substance abuse at the outset is more likely to reduce violent acts.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after following “nearly 300 patients for six months after their enrollment in an outpatient treatment program for both substance abuse and mental illness.”
The study’s lead author wrote, “Our findings suggest that treatment attendance is very important for these individuals and treatment programs should include interventions that are likely to decrease substance abuse, as this may provide the additional benefit of reducing the risk of later aggression among dual-diagnosis patients.”
Related Links:
— “Addiction Treatment Key to Curbing Violence in Mentally Ill: Study,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, October 6, 2014.