Screening for mental illness with the addiction severity index

The authors assessed the relationship of the psychological composite score (PCS) of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) to the presence of current DSM-III-R depressive, anxiety, psychotic, and somatoform disorders. A total of 365 patients in two inner-city psychiatric units received the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) and the ASI. The presence of a current DSM-III-R psychiatric diagnosis was significantly correlated with the PCS (P < 0.001). Controlling for substance abuse, affective (P < 0.01) and anxiety (P < 0.02) disorders significantly contributed to the ASI PCS. Individual PCS items were associated with the different types of mental disorders. The ASI PCS was significantly related to the presence of current DSM-III-R psychiatric diagnoses, especially depressive and anxiety disorders. Clusters of ASI PCS items may have utility in screening for patients in the substance abuse treatment setting who need psychiatric services.