Evaluation of an Assessment Tool for Service Users with Substance Misuse

Problems within an Outer London Forensic Unit

[Month/ Year]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this chance for thanking my research facilitator, friends and family for support they provide, their belief in me as well as the guidance they provided me, without which I would have never been able to do this research.

DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this dissertation stands for my individual work without any aid, and this dissertation has not been submitted for any Examination at academic as well as professional level, previously. It is also representing my very own views and not essentially those views that are associated with the university

Signed __________________ Date _________________

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST)1

Substance Abuse3

Background to the Study4

Rationale7

Aims of the Research7

Objectives of the Research8

Significance of the Study8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

Introduction10

Primary Mental Illness12

Double primary diagnosis13

Common Etiology13

Applying DAST15

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY17

Research Design17

Definition of Quantitative Research17

Rationale for Quantitative Study17

Validity18

Preliminary study19

Sample20

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS22

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS24

Recommendations25

REFERENCES27

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST)

Drug Abuse Screening Test is a long-term monitoring of drug use and alcohol use of the target person. This means that various regular drug tests are performed to examine change, whether consumer behavior has actually changed permanently. In most cases it is about cannabis metabolites, in relation to a drug test to regain the license, a driver's license test or the more popular MPU. On suspicion of drug use, the regular driver's license office arranges a drug screening or requires a complete medical report associated with drug screening. Sometimes drug abuse screenings are performed by order of a court, the prosecutor, the employment office or the employer. Positioned regardless of whom the drug screening is carried out for, the procedure is always the same. (Walliman 2005)

The subject receives the period of screening time and again a letter or a phone call informing him that he must go within a certain time frame, usually a maximum of 36 hours for drug abuse testing in the laboratory. The time intervals are irregular and arbitrary, so that he does not prepares on the drug test, as it cannot be calculated with the dismantling of the substances used.

In the laboratory, then first determined whether it is really relevant to the subjects is, only then will the drug test performed. The urine sample is submitted under the eyes of laboratory technicians in order to make fraud impossible. It is then poured into three test tubes: This is how the A-, B-and C-samples are. This division is necessary to maintain the validity of drug testing consent. (Walliman 2005)

The three samples are then provided with a code and archived electronically. The A sample is analyzed, the B sample is initially closed, the C-sample is frozen. If the first sample is positive, the B sample is analyzed by another person at another laboratory workstation using gas chromatography or mass spectrometry to verify the result.

Only if both results are positive, the overall result of the drug testing ...