Characteristic of Patients Stopping the Stationary Alcohol Therapy Obtained on the Basis of the Analysis of the Medical Documentation

Abstract

Patients addicted to alcohol often give up psychotherapeutic treatment programs. On one side, in out-patients’ clinics they are exposed to several factors which make abstinence and finishing the treatment program difficult. On the other, patients who participate in the stationary psychotherapy for addicted people are less exposed to these factors and a lot of them still are not able to finish the treatment program. The aim of the research was to describe patients discontinuing the stationary psychotherapy program for alcoholics. The empirical data was taken from analysing medical documentation and the history of patient addiction of those who had stayed for over a year in a stationary department of the hospital participating in the basic treatment program for alcoholics. The received results show that 27,6% of patients do not finish the taken treatment program for alcoholics. Men statistically more often than wo­men break off this psychotherapy treatment. Patients who discontinued the psychotherapy more often live alone (divorced or unmarried). Personality disorders and mental diseases (depression, alcohol hallucinations when entering the hospital, schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder). Among patients who gave up stationary addiction therapy, the most common were people who had previously attempted addiction therapy once. In the result we state that it is necessary to increase and make the offer of therapeutic programs in the stationary clinical centers more flexible. The difficulties and deficiencies of patients who discontinued the therapeutic programs should be considered. During psychotherapy, motivational methods should be used to encourage patients to change.