Mental health service use : A comparison of treated and untreated individuals with substance use disorders in Ontario

Objective:To determine the prevalence of and factors associated with mental health service use in the past year among respondents with an alcohol or other drug use disorder in a general population survey of Ontario adults.Method:Data were obtained from the 1990/1991 Mental Health Supplement to the Ontario Health Survey, which used the University of Michigan Composite International Diagnostic Interview (UM-CIDI). The current study examined 436 respondents aged 15–64 years who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R) criteria for a substance use disorder in the past year. The 82 respondents who used services for a mental health or substance abuse problem during the past year were compared with the 354 nonusers. Illness severity, disability, health beliefs and attitudes, and predisposing or enabling factors were examined in bivariate and logistic regression analyses.Results:Twenty-two percent of respondents used services in the past year. Having concurrent disorders (comorbidity)...