Clinical insight level predicts successful quit or control attempts during the first three months of outpatient addiction treatment

Low clinical insight in psychiatry is defined as poor recognition of one’s mental illness, including disability to self-evaluate symptom severity. It has been reported as common in addiction and is associated with lower treatment compliance. Longitudinal studies suggest that low clinical insight could be linked to more relapse. However, association with successful quit attempts remains unknown. Our objective was to examine the prospective link between baseline clinical insight level and self-reports of successful attempts to quit / control use during the first 3 months of outpatient addiction treatment. Participants were recruited from the ADDICTAQUI cohort at outpatient treatment intake for substance or behavioral addictions. They completed a baseline evaluation using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), and the modified Hanil Alcohol Insight Scale (m-HAIS) with a follow-up ASI 3 months later. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression and non-parametric tests. Lower clinical insight level at baseline was associated with less successful quit / control attempts during the first 3 months of outpatient treatment compared to a higher clinical insight level, controlling for sociodemographic factors, baseline addiction severity, and comorbidities (n = 54; exp(B) = 0.76; p (FDRcor) = 0.033). Poor clinical insight may be a barrier to treatment success, and future studies should examine underlying mechanisms. •Lower baseline clinical insight level was associated with lower success to quit or reduce use 3 months later.•Lower clinical insight at treatment entry might predict lower response to addiction treatment.•Clinical insight might be a critical factor for addiction treatment efficiency.