Stop Using Stuff: Trial of a Drug and Alcohol Intervention for Young People with Comorbid Mental Illness and Drug and Alcohol Problems

Objective: Substance abuse is a significant problem in the treatment of young people with their first psychosis. This study reports a randomized trial of a brief manualized cognitive behavioural therapy for substance abuse in young people with psychosis.

Method: Subjects were randomized between the study treatment and a group treated as usual. Treatment was a four to six session brief cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention developed specifically for this patient group - Stop Using Stuff (SUS).

Results: Both groups improved across the trial. However, those exposed to the active treatment improved significantly on measures of the frequency of cannabis and alcohol abuse.

Conclusions: Brief interventions in substance abuse in young people with psychosis can help moderate substance use in this difficult to treat group.