Abstract
Study objectives were to evaluate a brief intervention designed to facilitate outpatient engagement following an inpatient psychiatric stay for individuals with mental illness and substance use. A total of 102 veterans were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) Time Limited Care-Coordination (TLC), an eight-week co-occurring disorders intervention or (2) a matched attention (MA) control condition in the form of health education sessions. Both groups also received treatment as usual in inpatient and outpatient settings. Sixty-nine percent of TLC participants attended an outpatient appointment within 14 days of discharge, compared to only 33% of MA participants (P < 0.01). TLC participants were also more likely to be engaged in outpatient services at the end of the intervention period (44 vs. 22%, P < 0.01). This study provided evidence that an eight-week intervention could improve treatment engagement. Research is currently underway to examine impact of TLC intervention beyond the 8 week study period.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 127-132 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Community Mental Health Journal |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2012 |
Keywords
- Behavioral therapy
- Case management
- Mental illness
- Peer support
- Substance abuse
- Treatment engagement