Residential Treatment: Short Term? Long Term? What Works Best
It can be a challenge to determine what works best in substance abuse treatment.
To help, SAMHSA recently issued a short report, Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) 2005: Treatment Outcomes among Clients Discharged from Residential Substance Abuse Treatment. The report looks at the characteristics of clients who have received treatment at in-patient facilities.
The report compares individuals in short-term treatment (30 days or fewer) and long-term treatment (more than 30 days); those reporting primary alcohol abuse and other primary drug abuse; and people with varying education levels.
In the case of short-term versus long-term residential treatment, during 2005, data show that clients discharged from short-term treatment were more likely to complete treatment than clients discharged from long-term treatment.
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Source: SAMHSA Office of Applied Studies. 2005 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). Treatment Outcomes among Clients Discharged from Residential Substance Abuse Treatment. Figure 1. Percentage of Discharges from Short-Term and Long-Term Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, by Reason for Discharge: 2005. February 12, 2009.
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During the same period, clients of short-term residential treatment facilities reporting primary alcohol abuse (66 percent) had the highest completion rate, as compared to those reporting stimulant abuse (46 percent), who had the lowest completion rate.
For individuals discharged from long-term residential treatment, people reporting primary alcohol abuse also had the highest completion rate (46 percent). But the lowest completion rate for long-term care was among clients reporting primary cocaine abuse (33 percent) or primary opiate abuse (35 percent).
Read the full report, Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) 2005: Treatment Outcomes among Clients Discharged from Residential Substance Abuse Treatment.