Treatment response of antisocial substance abusers

J Nerv Ment Dis. 1995 Mar;183(3):166-71. doi: 10.1097/00005053-199503000-00007.

Abstract

We evaluated the relationship of antisociality to 7-month treatment response in 224 alcohol-and/or cocaine-dependent men. Subjects with and without a DSM-III antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) responded similarly and positively to treatment in a number of functional domains, including substance use. A more detailed analysis comparing subjects with ASPD, subjects meeting adult but not childhood ASPD criteria (A-ASPD), and subjects meeting neither adult nor childhood ASPD criteria (pure non-ASPD) revealed similar and positive responses to treatment among the three groups. The antisocial groups had more cocaine and alcohol use at the baseline evaluation, but at 7-month follow-up, they had levels of use not significantly different than the pure non-ASPD group. The findings suggest that an ASPD diagnosis or an adult antisocial lifestyle, at least as measured by DSM-III criteria, does not predict short-term treatment response.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcoholism / diagnosis
  • Alcoholism / epidemiology
  • Alcoholism / therapy
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / epidemiology*
  • Child
  • Cocaine
  • Comorbidity
  • Day Care, Medical
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Sex Factors
  • Substance Abuse Treatment Centers
  • Substance-Related Disorders / diagnosis
  • Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology
  • Substance-Related Disorders / therapy*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Cocaine