The Use of the Addiction Severity Index with People with Severe Mental Illness

The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) is used increasingly with persons with severe mental illness and substance use disorders (SMISUD), despite the lack of studies of its validity, reliability, and general usefulness with this population. This paper addresses general usefulness through experiential data from interviewers and respondents with SMISUD. Concerns are raised about the relevance of items to the life experiences and addictions problems of persons with SMISUD, the accuracy of respondent answers, and the limitations of standard administration procedures. We conclude that the ASI interview requires enhancement of both content and administration procedures to increase its usefulness for persons with SMISUD.