Abscondence and duration of treatment of compulsorily committed alcoholics on a locked ward: effects of changes in the treatment program and the law

The study concerns 124 alcoholics compulsorily committed to a locked ward at Runnagården, a coercive treatment setting in mid-Sweden. Three groups are compared: 57 patients were admitted before and 29 were admitted after the implementation of an introductory Alcoholics Anonymous-oriented program on the ward. Another 38 patients were admitted after the changes in legislation, which resulted in a longer duration of compulsory care. The groups were compared as to the number of days spent on the locked unit and the number of times they absconded. With the implementation of the program, a significant reduction was observed in the time needed on the locked ward, while the number of abscondence incidents showed a weaker tendency to decrease. After the legislative changes were made, the same factors increased. Multivariate regression was used to check confounding background factors. In conclusion, the introduction of an Alcoholics Anonymous-oriented program in a coercive treatment setting reduced the time spent on a locked ward without increasing the number of times patients absconded. Increase in length of coercion increased both the time spent at the locked ward and the number of times absconded.