A Critical Look at Dual-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Treatments for Comorbid Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorders: Strengths, Limitations, and Future Directions

Abstract

Several large-scale studies examining outcome predictors across various substance use treatments indicate a need to focus on psychiatric comorbidity as a very important predictor of poorer SUD treatment involvement and outcome. We have previously argued that current cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT) approaches to SUD treatment do not focus on the necessary content in treatment in order to effectively address specific forms of psychiatric comorbidity, and thus only provide clients with generic coping strategies for managing psychiatric illness (as would be achieved in other SUD treatment approaches; Conrod et al., 2000). Furthermore, following our review of the literature on dual-focused CBT treatment programs for concurrent disorders in this article, we argue that combining CBT-oriented SUD treatments with specific CBT treatments for psychiatric disorders is not as straightforward as one would think. Rather, it requires very careful consideration of the functional relationship between specific disorders, patient reactions to specific treatment components, and certain barriers to treatment in order to achieve an integrated dual-diagnosis focus in treatment that is meaningful and to which clients can adhere. Keywords: substance abuse; cognitive-behavioral; diagnosis; psychiatric disorders; comorbidity The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT) for substance use disorders (SUDs) is now indisputable. The articles presented in the current special issue on CBT approaches such as relapse prevention, guided self-change, behavioral couples therapy, and the community reinforcement approach, review evidence that clearly establishes that each produces significant improvements in SUD symptoms. The benefits of these various CBT approaches to SUD treatment are now also revealing themselves in other domains, such as in improving employment (Meyers, Villanueva, & Smith, this issue), family discord and partner aggression (Fals-Stewart et al., this issue), optimism and thought suppression (Witkiewitz, Mariait, & Walker, this issue), substance abuse in special populations (Sobell & Sobell, this issue), adaptive coping (Ouimette, Finney, & Moos, 1999), psychosocial functioning (Ouimette et al, 1999), criminal activity and use of health care services (Sacks & DeLeon, 1997), and comorbid psychiatric symptoms (Brown & Schuckit, 1988). Several large-scale studies examining outcome predictors across various substance use treatments (MacLellan et al., 1994; Ouimette, Gima, Moos, & Finney, 1999; Project MATCH, 1997) are now indicating that theoretical orientation of the treatment is not a strong determinant of SUD treatment outcome. Nonetheless, such studies have also identified a need to focus on psychiatric coniorbidity as a very important predictor of poorer SUD treatment involvement and outcome. Several reports indicate that individuals with SUDs who demonstrate psychiatric comorbidity are less likely to access addiction treatment services (Wu, Kouzis, & Leaf, 1999), demonstrate poor compliance with traditional substance use treatments (Drake, Mueser, Clark, & Wallach, 1996), and generally show a lesser response to such treatments with respect to rates of relapse to substance abuse, employment status, and psychosocial functioning (McLellan et al., 1994; Ouimette, Gima, Moos, & Finney, 1999; Project MATCH, 1997). The current article will examine the literature on the outcome of CBT approaches for the SUD client who suffers from a concurrent mental disorder. MODELS OF COMORBIDITY: How ARE SUD AND MENTAL DISORDERS RELATED? Before we examine different CBT approaches to treatment of concurrent SUD and mental disorders, it is worthwhile to consider various theoretical models of the relationship between SUDs and mental disorders. These models can inform ways of conceptualizing primary targets of therapy for dually diagnosed patients. The first model suggests that chronic and severe substance abuse is a strong contributor to the development of psychopathology and accounts for much of the co-occurrence between SUDs and other mental disorders. …