Mental health and substance use problems among patients in substance use disorder treatment as reported by patients versus treatment personnel

Objective: We examined and compared mental health and substance use problems among patients in substance use disorder treatment as reported by both patients and treatment personnel, and explored the feasibility of the quadrant model in addressing severity of mental health and substance use based on reports by treatment personnel. Methods: Patients receiving inpatient substance use treatment at clinics in Norway were recruited for the study; 85 completed a cross-sectional survey. Treatment personnel completed a separate survey and gathered information from patient charts. Results: While there were minor differences in the patient and personnel reported prevalence of mental disorders in general (34 and 41%, respectively), there were significant differences in reported affective disorders (p=0.05) and personality disorders (p=0.02). Based on the quadrant model, 70.2% of the patients had a high severity of substance use and low severity of mental health problems, while 21.4% had high severity of both. Conclusions: The differences in reports of mental disorders are important, and future research should aim to increase the validity and reliability of reported mental health problems among patients with substance use disorders. The quadrant model does seem to be a feasible model in addressing the severity of such co-occurring disorders.