Group Experience and Dual pathology and Addictions in a Regional Hospital in Spain

Abstract

Introduction

Dual pathology is a term applied to those subjects suffering simultaneously from addiction and other mental disorder. Group psychotherapy can be used in people who have both diagnoses with good results in improvement of addiction and disease stabilization.

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to analyse to efficacy of a group of psychotherapy for patients with alcohol addiction and other mental disorder, and analyse the presence of personality disorder in this group and how it affects its evolution.

Methods

The study was conducted on a sample of 16 patients diagnosed with alcohol abuse or dependence with psychiatric co-morbidity who attended a therapy group for 6 months from January16 to June16. The study was conducted in ambulatory care (outpatient), being an open and heterogeneous group.

Results

Main diagnosis was unspecified personality disorder and mood disorder (25%) followed by borderline personality disorder and mood disorder (18.75%), attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity (18.75%), mood disorder (12.5%), substance use disorder without other psychiatric co-morbidity (12.5%), narcissistic personality disorder (6.25%) and impulse control disorder (6.25%). Regarding progress in the stages of change, results were as follows: 31.5% of patients progressed to the stage of preparation for action, 25% alternating periods of abstinence from alcohol with brief relapse, 25% advanced to the stage of action, 18.5% managed to stay alcohol withdrawn.

Conclusions

In our sample, we can conclude that a therapeutic group including patients at different stages of change and diagnoses is positive. At the end, improvement in mood and anxiety was observed.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.