COSIG CONFERENCE BROCHURE.pdf - Drexel University College ...

COSIG Co-Occurring Disorders Conference, Hershey PA, May 15-17, 2006
Difference Between Instruments
• CAGE is most effective in identifying more
serious problem drinkers.
• But, it’s less effective for women (have
different drinking patterns).
• MAST-G was developed specifically for
older adults.
• Can be used for those from a wide variety
of settings.
AUDIT
• Alcohol Use Disorders
• Has not been evaluated for use with older
adults but is validated cross-culturally.
• May prove useful for identifying problems
among older adults of ethnic minorities
Common Positive Screening
Results
In order to ease the process one should:
• Describe the impact that alcohol or
prescription drugs is having on the
person’s health or functional status (e.g.
“The screening results indicate that
alcohol may be having a negative effect on
your blood pressure”).
• Immediately follow up by noting that this is
very treatable.
Positive Screening Results
(cont.)
• Present the options for addressing the
problem if the problem seems severe, “I’d
like to do a complete assessment so we
know how to proceed” or “We’ll monitor
your progress over the next couple weeks
to see if this helps with your hypertension”.
• If the situation seems dire, a
recommendation to detoxification may be
appropriate.
Substance Abuse Assessment
Instruments
• DSM-III-R (SCID)
• Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) which
covers: Substance use disorders, Mood
disorders, Somatoform Disorders,
Adjustment disorders, Psychotic
Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Eating
Disorders, and Personality Disorders.
Special Assessments
• Sometimes it may be impossible to understand
the true impact of their alcohol and drug use
without a full assessment of physical, mental,
and functional health.
• Functional health is assessed by a person’s
ability to perform activities of daily living (e.g.
bathing, dressing, feeding) and instrumental
activities of daily living (e.g. managing finances,
shopping, taking medications, using the phone).
• Instruments that measure ADL’s and IADL’s
include the Medications Outcome Study 36-Item
Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).
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