Secondary prevention of hazardous alcohol consumption in psychiatric out-patients: a randomised controlled study.
BACKGROUND
Hazardous alcohol use is associated with an increased risk for development of a substance use disorder, leading to negative outcomes in psychiatric patients.


OBJECTIVE
In order to investigate whether psychiatric outpatients' hazardous alcohol consumption could be reduced by way of a brief intervention by telephone.


METHODS
Non-psychotic psychiatric outpatients, n = 1,670, completed a self-rating form concerning alcohol habits (AUDIT). Participants with scores indicating risk consumption (n = 344) were randomised to intervention (immediate advice) or control (advice after 6 months).


RESULTS
Hazardous alcohol habits occurred among 19% of the women and 24% of the men. In the intervention group, half of the patients reduced their alcohol consumption to non-hazardous levels at 6-month follow-up (ITT analysis). In women, 41.5% in the intervention group had no hazardous consumption at follow-up compared to 24.7% in the control group (P = 0.003), corresponding figure for men was 49.1 and 34.0%.


CONCLUSIONS
Brief intervention seems to be effective to reduce hazardous alcohol consumption in psychiatric outpatients.
Eberhard
Sophia
S
Department of Clinical Science, Division Psychiatry, University Hospital Lund, 221 85 Lund, Sweden. sophia.eberhard@skane.se
Nordström
Göran
G
Höglund
Peter
P
Ojehagen
Agneta
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002648:Child; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055502:Secondary Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome