Drugs and Behavior
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Please give me a comparison (similarities and differences) of two tests, techniques, and/or instruments used to assess and diagnose substance abuse or addiction. Then, describe one strength and one shortcoming of each (using specific examples).
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Solution Summary
This solution discusses techniques related to the diagnosis and assessment of addciton and substance abuse.
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* Assessment for drug abuse and/or alcohol has been conducted using a variety of measures. Two common instruments used in assessing substance abuse are, The Addiction Severity Index (McDermott & McCllelan, 1996), and the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI-3).
(a) The Addiction Severity Index
The Addiction Severity Index (ASI, McDermott, 1996) is a semi-structured, multi-substance assessment method as a multidimensional diagnostic assessment instrument for alcohol and other drug use in adults. It is the most commonly used as a standardized measure for the assessment of alcohol and drug use and addiction in a clinical setting (Alexander & Leung, 2006). The ASI consists of 161 items, and gathers information on 7 functional domains affected by factors that include: (a) substance abuse, (b) medical and physical health status, (c) employment and financial support, (d) alcohol and drug use, (e) any form of legal activity, (f) family and social relationships, (g) and psychiatric symptoms (p. 361). The ASI reliability and validity has been established in several contexts, and considered useful in assessing several diverse populations including those who are mentally, incarcerated, homeless, or in publicly-funded methadone or drug treatment facilities. Raters asses severity for addiction in seven problem area: medical condition, employment functioning, drug use alcohol use, illegal activity, family/social relations, and psychiatric functioning. The final rating is made by the clinician; judgment, and has and ...
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