SAST.AUI AND THE SASSI.A2

SAST.AUI and the SASSI.A2

SAST.AUI and the SASSI.A2

The Women's Sexual Addiction Screening Test (W-SAST) is designed to assist in the assessment of sexually compulsive behavior. This test is a screening instrument, meant to be used in the context of a therapeutic interview. By itself, the W-SAST does not provide a diagnosis.

Professionals can screen for substance use disorder among adolescents aged 12-18, using the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory for Adolescents, Second Edition © 1990, 1997 Glenn A. Miller. The SASSI-A2 is a premier self report instrument published by the SASSI Institute, a world renowned psychological test publisher specializing in substance use measures (Rumack 2001 691-701). The ipasscode version is the only SASSI-A2 currently available online. SASSI-A2 identifies whether substance abuse or substance dependence are likely, indicates when results require further assessment, and provides meaningful clinical information regarding the specific needs of a client.

Additionally, free clinical consultation is available through the SASSI Institute. SASSI-A2 has a sensitivity of 95%, meaning that 95% of teens who test positive also meet the DSM-IV criteria for substance use disorder. It is a proven technique for obtaining evidence of substance issues. The goal of assessment is to determine personal characteristics that can influence the treatment of a patient's alcohol problem. Once a person has been referred for alcohol treatment, clinicians use assessment techniques to characterize the problem and to plan treatment (1,2).

Assessment comprises at least four important tasks: 1) to aid in the formal diagnosis of the patient's alcohol problem; 2) to establish the severity of the alcohol problem; 3) to guide treatment planning; and 4) to define a baseline of the patient's status, to which his or her future conditions can be compared (3). Assessment is an ongoing, interactive process, used to evaluate a patient's progress and adjust treatment. Questions answered by assessment include the following: Can withdrawal be accomplished without medications? Is outpatient treatment appropriate? If inpatient treatment is desirable, (Anderson van Lingen Hansen Lin Holford 2002 1336-1345) should the setting be psychiatric or alcohol-specific in nature? What would be an appropriate mix of choices taken from the variety of therapies? How has the patient's status changed during the course of treatment, and what problem areas remain?

Clinicians can choose from more than 100 assessment instruments in constructing a battery of tests tailored to the needs of a particular patient (see, for example, 8-14). Some instruments are protected by copyright, but can ...