The Utilization and Efficacy of Bibliotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder in Overcoming Barriers to Mental Health Treatment in Incarcerated Popuations

摘要

There is a large number of incarcerated individuals that report past or current histories of mental illness. A significant portion of those individuals are diagnosed with substance use disorders, with alcohol use accounting for a quarter of the diagnoses. Many inmates do not seek mental health treatment while incarcerated due to personal negative beliefs about treatment, including the fear of stigma, or systemic barriers such as the inability to access treatment. One way to overcome these barriers is bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy, or self-administered treatment through reading, dates back to the 1200s and currently covers a variety of mental and physical concerns. Bibliotherapy has been shown to be effective in reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol related problems for individuals in the general community, producing both short- and long-term reductions in alcohol use. Bibliotherapy for alcohol use disorder has not been directly studied with incarcerated populations; however, bibliotherapy for symptoms of depression and anxiety have been and have been found to be effective in symptom reduction. Therefore, it appears to be a viable option to overcome many of the barriers to treatment for inmates with alcohol use disorder, as well. The incarcerated population would likely benefit from a specific set of bibliotherapy materials that is tailored to their needs including consideration of cultural factors, reading level, and additional topics which may include the transition from incarceration to the community and community resources.