Classification of Patients According to the Lesch Alcoholism Typology in a Public Inpatient Residential Therapeutic Program for Alcohol Use Disorder.

AIMS: Alcohol use disorder is a complex and heterogeneous condition, necessitating various classification systems to deliver personalized and effective treatment strategies. The purpose of this study is to classify patients enrolled in an inpatient alcohol residential program based on the Lesch Alcoholism Typology (LAT).

METHOD: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 225 consecutive admissions (n = 225) participating in an inpatient alcohol residential program at the Psychiatric Hospital of Attica. Patients were classified according to the LAT using the LAT software (lat-online.at).

RESULTS

The sample consisted of n = 225 participants (145 men, 64.4%), with a mean age of 49.9 years (±8.6 years). Classification results indicated that 125 subjects (55.6%) were categorized as type II, 91 (40.4%) as type III, 5 (2.2%) as type I, and 4 (1.8%) as type IV. Each subtype exhibited distinct characteristics correlated with factors such as gender, mean duration of the disorder, and a history of psychiatric hospitalization. There were no significant differences in program completion rates (χ2 = 0.850, p = 0.356) or relapse rates within the first year post-discharge (χ2 = 2.780, p = 0.604) between the two predominant types.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing the LAT from the onset of case management could enable more targeted therapeutic interventions and enhance treatment effectiveness for individuals with alcohol use disorder.