United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-07-22 monographic deposited born digital 13 p. GA 1.13:T-HEHS-98-185 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-185 P0b002ee18038f942 f:he98185t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-185 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-185 T-HEHS-98-185 Drug abuse Drug treatment Evaluation methods Statistical data Alcohol or drug abuse problems Public health research Methadone maintenance Rehabilitation programs Narcotics NIDA Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study SAMHSA National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study NIDA Treatment Outcome Prospective Study NIDA Drug Abuse Reporting Program Testimony HEHS Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed its recent report on drug abuse treatment research findings, focusing on: (1) the overall effectiveness of drug abuse treatment; (2) the methodological issues affecting drug abuse treatment evaluations; and (3) what is known about the effectiveness of specific treatments for heroin, cocaine, and adolescent drug addiction.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) it found that large, multisite, longitudinal studies have produced considerable evidence that drug abuse treatment is beneficial to the individual undergoing treatment and to society; (2) the studies have consistently found that a substantial proportion of clients being studied report reductions in drug use and criminal activity following treatment; (3) the studies also show that clients who stay in treatment for longer periods report better outcomes; (4) however, drug abuse treatment research is complicated by a number of methodological challenges that make it difficult to accurately measure the extent to which treatment reduces drug use; (5) in particular, growing concerns about the validity of self-reported data, which are used routinely in the major evaluations of drug abuse treatment, suggest that the treatment benefit reported by these studies may be somewhat overstated; (6) in addition, the research evidence to support the relative effectiveness of specific treatment approaches or settings for particular groups of drug abusers is limited; and (7) while one specific treatment approach--methadone maintenance--has been shown to be the most effective treatment for heroin addiction, research on the best treatment approach or setting for cocaine addiction or adolescent drug users is less definitive. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-185/html/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-185.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-185/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-185.pdf GAO/T-HEHS-98-185 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-98-185 Testimony GAO/T-HEHS-98-185; Drug Abuse: Studies Show Treatment Is Effective, but Benefits May Be Overstated; Drug abuse Drug treatment Evaluation methods Statistical data Alcohol or drug abuse problems Public health research Methadone maintenance Rehabilitation programs Narcotics NIDA Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study SAMHSA National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study NIDA Treatment Outcome Prospective Study NIDA Drug Abuse Reporting Program