Brief alcohol intervention in a psychiatric outpatient setting: a randomized controlled study

Psychiatric outpatients with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores indicating hazardous or harmful drinking were invited to participate in the study. The outpatients were randomized to minimal (assessment, feedback, and an informational leaflet) or BI (personalized advice added). Measurements were performed at baseline and at six and 12 months after the intervention. The primary outcome was change in AUDIT score at the 12-month follow-up.In all, 150 patients were enrolled and received either a minimal intervention (n？=？68) or BI (n？=？82). At 12 months, there was a small reduction in AUDIT score in both groups, with no significant differences in outcome between groups. At 12-month follow-up, 21% of participants had improved from a hazardous AUDIT score level to a nonhazardous level, and 8% had improved from a harmful level to a hazardous level (8%).Brief alcohol interventions may result in a reduction of AUDIT score to a small extent in psychiatric patients with hazardous or harmful alcohol use. Results suggest that BI may be of some value in the psychiatric outpatient setting. Still, more profound forms of alcohol interventions with risky-drinking psychiatric patients need elaboration.Over the past two decades, numerous investigations of the effectiveness of brief intervention (BI) for hazardous or harmful drinking have been performed [1,2]. Brief intervention has been established as an effective preventive approach, in particular among men, and is strongly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) [3,4].Brief intervention is a method of addressing alcohol problems in an early stage. The method usually comprises a screening procedure (normally by means of a printed or computerized self-report questionnaire), brief feedback on the results, and personalized information about possible consequences. Five to 15 minutes is the average length of a BI (longer counseling has little additional effect) [1,5-7]. Written information is commonly offere