RTI International – News Release – 6.2.2010

Study Finds Combined Therapies for Alcohol Dependency Reduce Societal Costs

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.—Combining medications and behavioral interventions for treating alcohol-dependent patients reduces social costs of health care, arrests and motor vehicle accidents, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.

The study, published in the May issue of Medical Care, looked at the economic impact of combined alcohol dependency treatments, including the treatment costs and the economic costs of other health care use, arrests and motor vehicle accidents.

The researchers found that people who were alcohol dependent and received medical management and a combination of acamprosate and naltrexone medications saved more than $3,800 in the median cost of alcohol treatment, other health care costs, arrest costs and motor vehicle accident costs compared to those who just received medical management and a placebo.

“It’s important to understand the effect of alcohol interventions on future social costs,” said Gary Zarkin, Ph.D., vice president of the Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Research Division at RTI and the paper’s lead author. “Our study suggests that the combined alcohol dependency therapies have additional long-term societal benefits in terms of reduced health care usage, arrests and car accidents.”

The three-year study analyzed data from approximately 800 patients who participated in the nine alcohol dependence treatments in COMBINE (Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions Study). Previously, the study team estimated the cost-effectiveness of the COMBINE interventions at the end of 16 weeks of treatment. Clinical results for COMBINE were published in the May 2006 issue of JAMA.

“A strength of our study is that we were able to take advantage of the statistical design of the COMBINE clinical trial, which previous researchers were not able to do,” Zarkin said. “But more research needs to be done to understand the magnitude of social cost savings associated with alcohol dependency treatment.”

Alcohol abuse is the third leading preventable cause of death, and in 1998, according to a report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the estimated societal cost of alcohol abuse in the United States was $184 billion.

How to Choose a Therapist

AND OTHER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED
ABOUT STARTING YOUR PSYCHOTHERAPY

John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
Originally written: June 17, 1995
Last updated: July 28, 2004

So often I’ve been asked, “So how does one choose a good therapist?” After all, nobody wants to put their intensely personal emotional problems into the hands of an inexperienced, ineffective, or useless practitioner. The below guidelines will offer suggestions you may want to follow in choosing your next therapist. By the way, while I was at one time a therapist in practice, I have also been in my own therapy. This article was written with both experiences in mind.

First and foremost, you must find a therapist you feel comfortable with. Therapy is not an easy process and your therapist is not there to be your friend. Having said that, however, you can certainly choose a therapist whom you feel respects your individuality, opinions, and self. You must be able to trust your therapist 100% and if you cannot and feel like you have to lie to your therapist or withhold important information, you are not going to get any real help. You must also feel, in some respects and at some point in therapy, that actually going to your therapist is helping you. If you do not feel relief from your emotional problems, you may not be getting the best treatment available. Look for these types of warning signs as reasons to think about choosing another therapist if you are already in therapy, or signs to look out for during your initial few sessions with a new therapist.

Second, you should seek out therapists who have been practicing in the field for at least a decade, longer when possible. Research doesn’t show much difference between the quality of therapy outcomes based upon a clinician’s degree or training, but it does show that the longer a clinician has been practicing, usually the better client outcomes. This means that experienced therapists will be more likely to help you. Seek out a therapist with specific experience with your issue — you don’t want to be any therapist’s first time client for the problem you’re grappling with! Ask point-blank questions about the therapist’s experience in your first session with them. Don’t be shy! After all, it’s all about you and your care here. You’re interviewing the therapist as much as they are interviewing you. Take the opportunity to ask about the therapist’s experience with your issue. For instance, questions such as:

• “How long have you been in practice?”
• “Have you seen a lot of clients with similar concerns to my own?”
• “When was the last time you treated someone with a problem similar to mine?”

are all appropriate to ask your therapist in the first session. Listen to the answers and make your decision about whether this therapist will help you or not accordingly.