An ethnographic study of the longitudinal course of substance abuse among people with severe mental illness

A two-year ethnography conducted among 16 dually diagnosed clients yielded two longitudinal findings. First, four "positive quality of life" factors were strongly correlated with clients' efforts to cease using addictive substances: (1) regular engagement in an enjoyable activity; (2)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Community mental health journal 2000-12, Vol.36 (6), p.557-569
Main Authors: ALVERSON, Hoyt, ALVERSON, Marianne, DRAKE, Robert E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictions
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Anthropology, Cultural
Biological and medical sciences
Children & youth
Clinical trials
Continuity of Patient Care
Criminal sentences
Decision Making
Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry)
Drug abuse
Drug use
Ethnography
Ethnology
Health Services Research
Homeless people
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Medical sciences
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - psychology
Mental health
Mental health care
Mentally ill people
Miscellaneous
New Hampshire
Patient Compliance
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Quality of Life
Severely
Substance abuse
Substance abuse treatment
Substance use disorder
Substance-Related Disorders - psychology
Substance-Related Disorders - rehabilitation
USA
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Summary:A two-year ethnography conducted among 16 dually diagnosed clients yielded two longitudinal findings. First, four "positive quality of life" factors were strongly correlated with clients' efforts to cease using addictive substances: (1) regular engagement in an enjoyable activity; (2) decent, stable housing; (3) a loving relationship with someone sober who accepts the person's mental illness; and (4) a positive, valued relationship with a mental health professional. Second, the study revealed that five "negative background factors" in participants' childhood homes were predictive of long-term continuation of substance use: (1) substance abuse in childhood home, (2) childhood household in dire poverty, (3) "non-functional" household members, (4) reporting of abuse imputed to care-givers, and (5) serious mental illness in household. The implications of these findings for treatment are discussed.
ISSN:0010-3853
1573-2789
DOI:10.1023/A:1001930101541