Indications of group psychotherapy for alcoholism

Abstract

Introduction: It exist a general need of improving the efficiency of psychiatry and psychological treatment based on evidence and individualized treatments. Group psychotherapy (GP) for alcoholics are used extensively in most specialized centers of Spain, but in our knowledge they are mostly indicated by routine and in a indiscriminate way. Furthermore, this therapies are scarcely evaluated and they do not exist homogeneous and objective criteria about their indication.

Material and method: A cohort of 329 alcoholic patients was followed up until they finish the group psychotherapy treatment or either they drop out.

Results: Women show smaller drop out rates of the GP (51% to 2 years) that men (61%) and abandoned significantly afterwards (98 vs. 34 average weeks). In the younger patients is given the otherwise: they are retained less and they abandon before in spite of counting with specific groups for them. Subjects with medium educational level abandon sooner than those of high or low educational levels. Of all the psychiatric, alcohological and demographic antecedents only the presence of jealousy or of alcoholic hallucinations worsens significantly the outcome of GP.

Discussion: It is outlined the convenience of avoiding indications of GP when exist one of these worsening indicators and of minimizing indications of GP in younger patients or male patients, or otherwise to improve the therapeutic cares given to them during the critical phase of the first two months. Other alternative are to identify the personal and psychological characteristic of women and adults that favor the GP adherence to elaborate therapeutic strategies to maximize them in the other patients.