Personality measures in former heroin users receiving methadone or in protracted abstinence from opiates.
OBJECTIVE
Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) and detoxification to abstinence are among the most common treatment options for opiate-dependent patients. This paper compares personality traits in detoxified former heroin users and those on MMT in order to assess their relevance to treatment selection.


METHODS
Twenty-six formerly heroin-dependent subjects receiving MMT (MM), 33 formerly heroin-dependent subjects withdrawn from MMT (MW), and 43 healthy controls were compared on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI).


RESULTS
On the TCI, MM patients had higher novelty seeking and lower self-directedness scores than controls. Both MM and MW subjects scored higher than controls on multiple MCMI-II scales. MW but not MM subjects scored higher than controls on two Cluster A Scales and the delusional disorder scale.


CONCLUSIONS
Schizophrenia-spectrum pathology in former opiate users may be greater than previously recognized and could potentially be relevant to treatment selection.
Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York 10003, NY. Lcohen@bethisraelny.org
L J
LJ
Cohen
E
E
Gertmenian-King
L
L
Kunik
C
C
Weaver
E D
ED
London
I
I
Galynker
D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012016:Reference Values; D013997:Time Factors; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D008691:Methadone