Faculty Articles
Diagnosis and Assessment of Substance Abuse in Older Adults: Current Strategies and Issues.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1994
Publication Title
Addictive Behaviors
Volume
19
Issue/Number
1
First Page
41
ISSN
0306-4603
Last Page
55
Abstract/Excerpt
Alcohol and substance abuse in older adults until recently has received little empirical attention in the literature. However, in light of the increasing number of older adults in the population, clinicians and researchers alike are recognizing the importance of evaluating specific assessment and treatment strategies for such older substance abusers. Because distinctive biological, cognitive, and psychosocial variables appear to be correlated with substance abuse in older adults, evaluation and intervention methods employed with younger cohorts may be inappropriate or ineffective with individuals 55 and over. Our article, therefore, examines these characteristics as they pertain to the unique problems and service needs of the elderly. Relevant diagnostic and assessment strategies are reviewed. Finally, suggestions for future work in this area are outlined.
DOI
10.1016/0306-4603(94)90050-7
NSUWorks Citation
King, C. J.,
Van Hasselt, V. B.,
Segal, D. L.,
Hersen, M.
(1994). Diagnosis and Assessment of Substance Abuse in Older Adults: Current Strategies and Issues.. Addictive Behaviors, 19(1), 41-55.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/98
Comments
^The authors wish to express their appreciation to Charlotte Vanook and Burt G. Bolton for their technical assistance in preparation of this manuscript.