Chemical Dependency Assessment Tools

When a person is referred for chemical dependency treatment, the assessment is a key aspect of treatment. A social worker or other practitioner evaluates the subject's condition and determines what level of treatment is appropriate. Chemical dependency assessment tools are standardized models, either sets of questions or a checklist of criteria, which help pin the subject's condition to a diagnosis. Standardized assessment tools are valuable for consistency. Questions are worded in precisely the same way each time, so there is no unpredictable influence.

Dartmouth Assessment of Lifestyle Interview (DALI)

• The Dartmouth Assessment of Lifestyle Interview (DALI) is a series of 18 questions posed to the subject, and answered with either a "yes/no" or by choosing a number. Some of the questions pertain directly to substance abuse. For example, has the subject used marijuana in the past 6 months? Other questions pertain to general risk behavior and risk aversion. Does the subject wear seat belts while riding in the car? The DALI is admired for its ability to assess both alcohol and drug use disorders, and is used to determine if mentally ill patients have a co-existing substance abuse problem.

The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)

• The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) is a questionnaire used to determine if a subject has a problem with drinking. The MAST is a set of 22 "yes" or "no" questions about the subject's drinking history and any consequences he may have experienced because of alcohol. Points are added up, and the score indicates that the subject has no apparent problem, early or middle-stage problem drinking, or a full blown problem drinking. The MAST does not directly address drugs other than alcohol.

CAGE

• The CAGE alcohol assessment is a classic 4-question survey designed to determine if a subject fits the diagnostic criteria for alcoholism. The name "CAGE" comes from the operative word in each question. The CAGE was adapted to assess dependency on other drugs in the early 1990s. The adapted CAGE assessment is called "CAGE-AID" for "adapted to include drugs." The CAGE is a good assessment tool for its brevity--the four questions can be asked and answered quickly. It is not, however, especially comprehensive, and its questions rely on the word "ever," which makes it difficult to determine if a problem is ongoing, new, or from the past.