Validity of substance use self-reports in dually diagnosed outpatients.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of self-reports of substance use among outpatients dually diagnosed with substance use disorder and either bipolar disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder.


METHODS
Self-reports of substance use were compared with supervised urine samples collected on the same day for 55 subjects.


RESULTS
Self-reports were highly valid. Only 4.7% of cases involved subjects not reporting substance use detected by urine screens.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-reports of substance use may be highly valid in nonpsychotic, dually diagnosed outpatients under certain conditions, i.e., when patients are in treatment, when urine samples are collected with patients' prior knowledge, when patients are well-known to staff, and when honest self-reporting is encouraged.
Weiss
R D
RD
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02178, USA. rdwss@aol.com
Najavits
L M
LM
Greenfield
S F
SF
Soto
J A
JA
Shaw
S R
SR
Wyner
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires