Clinical Assessment and Treatment Evaluation of Alcohol Dependent Patients

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The Section on Clinical Assessment and Treatment Evaluation (CATE) is responsible for the care of each patient who is admitted to the NIAAA inpatient and outpatient program. Each participant receives a thorough history and physical examination as well as an extensive laboratory evaluation to assess their general state of health. Additional tests and procedures are ordered when clinically indicated. CATE is responsible for the state of the art treatment program designed for individuals with alcohol dependence as well as co-morbid disorders frequently associated with alcoholism. Participants are obtained from advertisements as well as from referrals from community hospitals, county treatment facilities, and Military/Government establishments. Inquiries are answered promptly by CATE social workers and provide a large data base of candidates from which to select prospective participants for research protocols. Recruitment is protocol-driven and is frequently aimed at specific patient populations such as non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers, anxious alcoholics, and alcoholics with a history of aggression or post traumatic stress disorder. Once a participant is admitted to the program, the participant meets with their primary nurse from the 1SE Adult Behavioral Healthcare Unit nursing staff and their physician on a regular basis to facilitate their recovery. The average inpatient stay is three weeks but the duration is variable depending on an individuals participation in the protocols. During their stay, multiple treatment approaches are offered to the participants including group and individual formats. Groups employing motivational and cognitive approaches are conducted on a daily basis. Family therapy is available several times per week for individuals who wish to participate. Individuals are given the opportunity to attend support groups such as AA or rational recovery during their inpatient hospitalization. Following hospitalization, patients are encouraged to participate in the NIAAA outpatient program which incorporates medication management as well as individual and group therapies. Training and Natural History protocol serves as the platform to evaluate and follow patients participating in the NIAAA inpatient and outpatient programs. It provides the mechanism for CATE to collect clinical and standardized core descriptive data on all participants. In addition, CATE maintains a comprehensive database for the entire NIAAA research candidate cohort. Participant recruitment is ongoing.