Treatment of the mentally ill chemical abuser: description of the Hutchings Day Treatment Program.

Drug and alcohol abuse represents a major obstacle to the successful rehabilitation of psychiatrically-disabled persons. Prevalence estimates for current chemical abuse among individuals in psychiatric treatment range from 24% to 49%. Although specialized treatment programs for mentally ill chemical abusers (MICAs) have recently been developed, few of these innovative programs are described in the literature. This paper presents main features of the MICA Day Treatment Program at the Richard H. Hutchings Psychiatric Center, including staffing, schedule, maintenance of a drug-free treatment environment, and therapeutic programming. Recommendations are offered for treatment providers who are developing their own services for MICAs.