The dual diagnosis capability of residential addiction treatment centres: Priorities and confidence to improve capability following a review process

Abstract Introduction and Aims. The Dual Diagnosis Capability of Addiction Treatment (DDCAT) index is used to assess the capacity of substance abuse services to work with individuals with co-occurring mental health problems. The current study aimed to: (i) examine the dual diagnosis capability of residential substance abuse programs in Australia; (ii) identify managers’ perceptions regarding both priorities and confidence for change following the completion of the DDCAT; and (iii) to examine the usefulness of the DDCAT to residential substance abuse programs. Design and Methods. The DDCAT was completed across 16 residential substance abuse units.An external researcher administered and scored the DDCAT.A Unit Manager from each site completed the Comorbidity Priorities and Confidence Survey following the completion of the DDCAT review. This survey examined the usefulness of the DDCAT, and the unit’s priorities to improve its capability, and confidence to improve its DDCAT score. Results. Across the services, program structure and staff training were the DDCAT domains that required the most improvement.While training was the highest endorsed priority area for improvement, program structure was the lowest priority. Overall the Unit Managers reported positive attitudes towards use of the DDCAT and were confident that their unit could improve their DDCAT scores. Discussion and Conclusions. DDCAT scores of Australian residential substance abuse programs are comparable with previous published results.However, there is still substantial work required to improve the capability of these programs. Future research should examine strategies to promote sustained improvements in the capability of residential substance abuse programs. [Matthews H, Kelly PJ, Deane FP. The dual diagnosis capability of residential addiction treatment centres: Priorities and confidence to improve capability following a review process. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010

Benchmarking across sectors: Comparisons of residential dual diagnosis and mental health programs

[extract] A Question to Ponder: How does your service compare to other similar services in the industry? How would knowing this help your organisation

Tunable L-band semiconductor laser based on Mach–Zehnder interferometer

A regrowth-free tunable L-band semiconductor laser based on Mach–Zehnder interferometer is presented in this paper. The laser exhibit a side mode suppression ratio of 38 dB and linewidth of 500 kHz. A tuning range of 30 nm across the L-band is also demonstrated

Regrowth-free single-mode semiconductor laser suitable for monolithic integration based on pits mirror

A regrowth-free single-mode laser that is made using standard UV photolithography is reported. The laser achieves a single-mode side-mode suppression ratio of 37 dB, linewidth of 450 kHz, and tunes across 2.9 nm and is suitable for monolithic integration as a distributed feedback replacement, due to a large free spectral range of 60 nm

A comparison of treatment outcomes for individuals with substance use disorder alone and individuals with probable dual diagnosis

The co-occurrence of substance use and mental health problems, often referred to as dual diagnosis (DD), is increasingly recognised as commonplace within substance abuse treatment programs. Two-hundred and thirty-four individuals from 9 Australian Salvation Army drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs completed a 3-month post-discharge telephone follow-up. Using a cut-off score from the Psychiatric Subscale of the Addiction Severity Index (5th ed.), 66.7% were classified as likely to have DD and 33.3% as substance use disorder only (SUD). Both groups reported comparable and decreased substance use levels at follow-up, yet DD individuals perceived less improvement in substance use problems. Comparable improvements were reported in the areas of: symptom distress and recovery from symptoms. This was despite greater scope for improvement in individuals with DD. Duration of treatment and access to post treatment services were also assessed. Understanding factors effecting treatment outcomes is imperative for the implementation of effective, evidence based treatment programs

A novel two-section tunable discrete mode Fabry-PÉrot laser exhibiting nanosecond wavelength switching

A novel widely tunable laser diode is proposed and demonstrated. Mode selection occurs by etching perturbing slots into the laser ridge. A two-section device is realized with different slot patterns in each section allowing Vernier tuning. The laser operates at 1.3 mum and achieves a maximum output power of 10 mW. A discontinuous tuning range of 30 nm was achieved with a side mode suppression greater than 30 dB. Wavelength switching times of approximately 1.5 ns between a number of wavelength channels separated by 7 nm have been demonstrated

An integration-friendly regrowth-free tunable laser

This paper presents a single-mode tunable laser operating in the L band. The facetless design, along with a regrowth-free fabrication that does not require high-resolution lithography techniques, contribute to make the laser a suitable candidate for monolithic integration with other components. Vernier tuning is demonstrated over a range of 47nm, with sidemode suppression ratio (SMSR) values over 30dB and a linewidth of 800kHz