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Is the Addiction Severity Index a reliable and valid assessment instrument among clients with severe and persistent mental illness and substance abuse disorders?

OBJECTIVE: This study examined aspects of reliability, validity and utility of Addiction Severity Index (ASI) data as administered to clients with severe and persistent mental illness (SMI) and concurrent substance abuse disorders enrolled in a publicly-funded community mental health center. METHODS: A total of 62 clients with SMI volunteered to participate in an interobserver and test-retest reliability study of the ASI. Spearman-Brown and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the extent of agreement among client responses. RESULTS: Overall 16% of the composite scores could not be calculated due to missing data and 31% of the clients misunderstood or confused items in at least one of the seven ASI domains. As a whole, the interobserver reliability of the ASI composite scores for those subjects where sufficient data were available was satisfactory. However, there was more variance in the stability of client responses, with four composite scores producing test-retest reliability coefficients below .65. CONCLUSION: Evidence from this study suggests that the ASI has a number of limitations in assessing the problems of clients with severe and persistent mental illness, and it is likely that other similar instruments based on the self-reports of persons with severe and persistent mental illness would also encounter these limitations.

Adolescent↗

Reduction of withdrawal signs after chronic nicotine exposure of alpha-calcitonin gene-related peptide knock-out mice.

Nicotine, the main substance responsible for the addictive behavior of smokers, binds to a variety of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) diversely distributed in the brain, notably in areas involved in motivation and reward mechanisms. The alpha-calcitonin gene-related peptide (alphaCGRP) has been previously shown to modulate the functions of nAChRs and is released in brain areas implicated in motivation, such as the amygdala or the ventral tegmental area. Interestingly, alphaCGRP -/- mice display a decrease in morphine withdrawal symptoms. In this context, we investigate the tolerance and withdrawal symptoms in alphaCGRP -/- mice exposed to acute and chronic nicotine. We report that these animals develop a normal tolerance to the antinociceptive effects of nicotine, but display an attenuation of somatic withdrawal symptoms.

Animals↗

An examination of the diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality disorder in substance abusers.

In this article, we compare problem severity and adult antisocial behavior among three groups of cocaine- or alcohol-dependent patients: those with antisocial personality disorder (APD), those who met adult but not childhood APD criteria (A-APD), and those who met neither (non-APD) in order to determine the clinical utility of the A-APD category. Subjects were 269 male veterans admitted for substance abuse treatment. The Addiction Severity Index was used to determine problem severity and the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule was used to obtain positive DSM-III APD criteria and APD diagnoses. More APD subjects reported arrests, illegal behavior, and chronic lying than A-APD and non-APD subjects. On several variables (recent family/social problems, trouble controlling violent behavior, and time incarcerated), A-APD subjects were intermediate in severity. Overall, the non-APD subjects had the least severe problem status. When the APD and A-APD groups were equated on number of positive adult APD criteria, the only differences that consistently remained were difficulty controlling violent behavior and commission of criminal acts, which were endorsed more frequently in the APD group. It appears that the unique contribution of the early onset criteria for the APD diagnosis is that it identifies individuals more likely to engage in criminal and violent behavior. The more general irresponsibility and disregard for the rights of others characteristic of APD is equally evident in both antisocial groups. This work indicates that the APD versus non-APD distinction may not be fine grained enough for clinical or research purposes.

Adult↗

Detection of substance use disorders among psychiatric inpatients.

This study examines the utility of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) for detecting psychoactive substance use disorders (PSUDs) among psychiatric inpatients. Four hundred thirty-five inpatients at two inner-city psychiatric hospitals completed the ASI and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis assessed the optimal threshold ASI alcohol and drug composite scores to detect DSM-III-R PSUDs. The correlations of both the ASI alcohol and drug composite scores with their corresponding DSM-III-R PSUD categories were significant (p<.0001). However, the ROC analysis revealed that the ASI misses approximately 20% of SCID-positive PSUD cases. Specificity of the ASI, on the other hand, is quite good (95% to 98%), and optimal ASI threshold scores to rule out a PSUD among these patients are identified. The results also support the sensitivity of these patients to the toxic effects of illicit substance use.

Alcoholism↗

Substance abuse in pregnancy. A bigger problem than you think.

Many people think of crack and heroin addiction when they hear the words "substance abuse," but legal substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines, can also be abused. When a pregnant women is the abuser, she is potentially damaging two persons. And, since abusers rarely abuse just one substance, the growing fetus may bear the negative impact of multiple substances. Dr King maintains that many pregnant women would try to reduce their substance use if they understood the potential outcome of their actions, and he calls for physicians to identify and counsel women who need help confronting their problem.

Female↗

Family-based and case-control association studies of catechol-O-methyltransferase in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder suggest genetic sexual dimorphism.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood-onset behavioral disorder. Boys are more often affected than girls. Family, twin, and adoption studies have supported a strong genetic basis. Some studies show that a catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphism affecting enzyme activity was associated with personality characteristics and diseases, such as novelty-seeking personality, substance abuse, and heroin addiction, whose features are similar to ADHD or are associated with ADHD. These findings suggest that the COMT gene may be a candidate gene for ADHD. TDT, HHRR, and case-control association studies were conducted within a sample of 202 nuclear ADHD families, 340 ADHD cases, and 226 controls in the Han Chinese population. Diagnoses and ADHD subtypes were ascertained according to DSM-IV criteria using American Clinical Diagnostic Interviewing Scales. The HHRR analysis suggested that the low enzyme-activity COMT Met allele was preferentially transmitted to ADHD boys (160 trios, chi(2) = 3.858, P = 0.05, df = 1) but not girls. This association is particularly pronounced among male ADHD probands without any comorbidity (50 trios, HHRR: chi(2) = 5.128, P = 0.024, df = 1; TDT: chi(2) = 4.558, P = 0.033, df = 1), especially the ADHD-I subtype (32 trios, HHRR: chi(2) = 5.792, P = 0.016, df = 1; TDT: chi(2) = 5.333, P = 0.021, df = 1). The case-control study revealed that the Val allele was more frequent in females meeting ICD-10 or DSM-IV criteria for ADHD than in female controls (86 and 79.5%, respectively, chi(2) = 4.059, P = 0.044, df = 1). Although these results suggest the COMT gene exerts some influence on the risk for ADHD in the Han Chinese population, given the potential for Type I error, these findings require replication before drawing definitive conclusions.

Adolescent↗

Substance abuse and psychopathology. A diagnostic screening of Italian narcotic addicts.

This report evaluates, using DSM III, the psychopathological profile of 226 heroin users taken in at the clinical centre of "Cascina Verde" Therapeutic Community (Milan, Italy) and admitted to a psychotherapeutic, retraining, integrated, both out-and-in-patient treatment. The outcome shows that 30% of subjects are to be diagnosed according to Axis I while 61% are to be considered among Axis II personality disorders. A portion of 16% is to be referred to the "schizophrenic spectrum", 25% has histrionic, narcissistic, antisocial and borderline personality disorders and the remaining are to be referred to an extremely heterogeneous category. The report shows also data concerning Axes IV and V, always according DSM III.

Adolescent↗

Novel strategies for clinical drug analysis with new column technology in liquid chromatography.

Clinical drug analysis has been the focus of much attention and controversy because of the increase in substance abuse testing of addicts, patients, employees and others, in addition to the rapidly growing fields of therapeutic drug monitoring and clinical toxicology. This review focuses on the latest methodological and technological advances in liquid chromatography (LC) as it is applied to clinical drug analysis. Based on the author's experience, key chromatographic parameters such as carbon load, functionalities and temperature are proposed for the separation of structurally similar metabolites and for resolving chromatographic interferences by other drugs and metabolites. Novel sample preparation for cyclosporine and gradient elution of its metabolites are reviewed, followed by an update on monitoring of 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine with emphasis on automated sample preparation. Various approaches of direct sample analysis are advocated for increased efficiency as a result of minimal sample preparation and potential advantages such as decreased exposure of personnel to infectious samples. An update of microbore LC indicates that 2-mm columns may be readily used for clinical paediatric and neonatal analysis without dedicated chromatographs. Potential applications of multidimensional-multimodal chromatography include analyses of a cocaine impurity, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and five ingredients of a common cold medication.

Body Fluids↗

Social pressure, coercion, and client engagement at treatment entry: a self-determination theory perspective.

Research on coercion in addiction treatment typically investigates objective sources of social pressure among legally mandated clients. Little research has examined the impact of clients' perceptions of social pressures in generalist addiction services. Clients seeking substance abuse treatment (N=300; 221 males and 79 females; M age=36.6 years) rated the extent to which treatment was being sought because of coercive social pressures (external motivation; alpha=.89), guilt about continued substance abuse (introjected motivation; alpha=.84), or a personal choice and commitment to the goals of the program (identified motivation; alpha=.85). External treatment motivation was positively correlated with legal referral, social network pressures to enter treatment, and was inversely related to problem severity. In contrast, identified treatment motivation was positively correlated with self-referral and problem severity, and was inversely related to perceived coercion (ps<.05). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that referral source (i.e., mandated treatment status), legal history, and social network pressures did not predict any of 6 measures of client engagement at the time treatment was sought. However, treatment motivation variables accounted for unique variance in these outcomes when added to each model (DeltaR(2)s=.06-.23, ps<.05). Specifically, identified treatment motivation predicted perceived benefits of reducing substance use, attempts to reduce drinking and drug use, as well as self (and therapist) ratings of interest in the upcoming treatment episode (betas=.18-.31, ps<.05). Results suggest that the presence of legal referral and/or social network pressures to quit, cut down, and/or enter treatment does not affect client engagement at treatment entry.

Age Factors↗

Interactions between ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors regulate cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation in cultured striatal neurons.

The striatum is a key structure of basal ganglia controlling extrapyramidal motor activity and processing addictive plasticity of abused substances. Glutamatergic transmission that is enriched in the striatum regulates a variety of striatal neuronal activities via selective activation of ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). In this study, the interaction between N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and group I mGluRs (mGluR1 and mGluR5 subtypes) in activating a phosphorylation cascade to a transcription factor cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) was investigated in primary cultures of E18 or postnatal day 1 striatal neurons. We found that activation of NMDA receptors with NMDA rapidly and concentration-dependently increased the number of neurons expressing phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) as revealed by immunocytochemistry. The increased pCREB expression by NMDA was sensitive to an NMDA antagonist MK801. Co-incubation of a subthreshold dose of a group I mGluR agonist 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) that itself did not alter basal pCREB expression augmented NMDA-induced CREB phosphorylation. The mGluR5 antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine hydrochloride blocked the DHPG augmentation of NMDA-induced CREB phosphorylation, while the mGluR1 antagonist 7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1a-carboxylate ethyl ester did not. Interestingly, the protein kinase C inhibitors chelerythrine and Gö6983 also prevented DHPG from enhancing CREB phosphorylation induced by NMDA. Whereas a low dose of the protein kinase C activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate mimicked the DHPG potentiation. These results indicate a facilitatory regulation of an NMDA cascade to CREB phosphorylation by concurrent glutamatergic tone on mGluR5, which is probably processed via an intracellular signaling pathway involving protein kinase C.

Animals↗

Keeping the lid on: a century of drug regulation and control.

Since the early 1900s, national and international drug control legislation has acted as a key site of contention between important societal actors. Physicians and pharmacists, regulators and drug companies, patients and addicts, and researchers and pharmacologists all attempted to influence formulation and interpretation of the rules that regulate access to addicting but medically useful substances. The 1970 Controlled Substances Act (CSA) consolidated and rationalized previous US domestic legislation and paid careful attention to the international aspects of the issue. Yet the CSA also incorporated long-standing fundamental disputes about who would act as gatekeepers, what criteria would be employed in regulatory decisions, and the basic goals of drug control legislation. Rather than view the CSA as a beginning or an end, it is better conceived as a major milepost in a century-long odyssey of maneuvering among interested parties for advantage in a complex regulatory environment. Instead of providing a definitive authoritative structure to which all parties must adhere, the CSA has served as a vehicle for discernment and continuous renegotiation of essential concepts such as "abuse liability".

Drug Industry↗

Medical assessment in drug addicts: reliability and validity of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (Substance Abuse version).

OBJECTIVE: To adapt the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for its use in substance abuse patients (CIRS-SA) and to assess the reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the instrument. METHOD: One-hundred outpatients of both sexes, 62 men and 38 women, with a mean (SD) age of 32.4 (7.9) years (range 19-57), all of them fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for any substance abuse disorder. Internal consistency was calculated with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Test-retest and interrater reliability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon z. Validity of the scale was assessed with Kendall's tau correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The final CIRS-SA version had a total of 13 items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.57. All intraclass correlation coefficients were above 0.7, and some items showed exact coincidence. The stability of the CIRS-SA scale in a 1-month test re-test reassessment was demonstrated. The CIRS-SA score showed a significant correlation with all consultant scores. CONCLUSION: CIRS-SA is a reliable and valid instrument to assess and to determine systematically the physical condition of substance abusers in whom infections, particularly by the HIV, are highly prevalent.

Adult↗

Diminishing marginal value as delay discounting.

The fundamental law underlying economic demand and exchange is the tendency for value of marginal units to diminish with increasing amounts of a commodity. The present paper demonstrates that this law follows from three still-more-basic psychological assumptions: (a) limited consumption rate, (b) delay discounting, and (c) choice of highest valued alternative. Cases of diminishing marginal value apparently due to pure intensity of reward may plausibly be attributed to the above three factors. The further assumption that maximum consumption rate may vary within and across individuals implies that some substances may be unusually addictive and that some individual animals may be unusually susceptible to addiction.

Animals↗