The SUDDS-IV is a comprehensive diagnostic assessment interview providing definitive documentation for substance-specific abuse or dependence diagnoses based on DSM-IV-TR criteria. It also screens for depression and anxiety disorders. In addition to diagnostic documentation, the SUDDS-IV provides valuable information for treatment planning and patient placement.

APPLICATIONS: The SUDDS-IV is an ideal tool for a thorough diagnostic work-up as part of any routine clinical intake in any behavioral healthcare setting. The SUDDS-IV is also a valuable assessment tool in correctional populations. The detailed record of events and behaviors supporting the diagnoses is particularly helpful in assessments where findings may be challenged, such as in assessments following positive drug tests, court testimony, and other situations where detailed objective documentation is required.

The SUDDS-IV provides a lifetime history, including age of onset, which is useful in determining whether alcohol and other drug problems have shown a progressive or varied course. This information can be very useful for motivation enhancement by addressing the escalating nature of problems with clients who are resistant to treatment.

Data from the SUDDS-IV provides valuable information for three of the six ASAM PPC-2R dimensions for patient placement and treatment planning. The SUDDS-IV data provide important input for treatment planning.

ADMINISTRATION: The SUDDS-IV provides flexibility in the diagnostic process. The SUDDS-IV can be administered as a comprehensive interview in a single session or the interview can be done in segments without losing the context of previous responses. This flexibility allows the SUDDS-IV interview to fit into any outpatient or residential application.

TIME REQUIREMENTS: Most respondents will need 35 to 45 minutes to complete the entire interview; scoring can be done within five minutes. A triage application focusing only on current symptoms will typically require 20 to 30 minutes.

SCORING AND INTERPRETATION: The interview results can be recorded on the one-sheet checklist for charting purposes. The SUDDS-IV has content validity because items are directly based on the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. As with any assessment, making the final diagnosis rests with the clinician, who can integrate assessment results with all other available information.

The SUDDS-IV also collects prognostic information relevant to the ASAM patient placement criteria. Demographic and clinical information obtained through the interview have been found to correlate with the likelihood of abstinence after treatment.

STATISTICS AND CLINICAL PROFILES: The internal consistency reliability findings from the SUDDS-IV range from .94 to .97 for dependence and from .84 to .93 for abuse. The findings vary by substance with higher reliabilities noted for cocaine and alcohol and the lower reliabilities for marijuana. Problem profiles from the SUDDS-IV items reveal that most individuals who meet dependence criteria have a clearly defined and identifiable syndrome of symptoms supporting a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis.

COPYRIGHT: The SUDDS-IV is copyrighted. Photocopying or adapting it is illegal and constitutes unethical conduct.

© 2005 Evince Clinical Assessments