Testing clinical effectiveness of two alcohol treatment approaches in Sri Lanka

Efficacy of two treatment strategies for chronic alcohol use disorders in comparison to that currently practiced at the Psychiatric Unit of the University of Colombo - a RCT

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 4

Study type

Interventional

Source

SLCTR

Registry ID

SLCTR/2014/021

Enrollment

192

Registered

2014-09-19

Start date

2014-11-05

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Harmful use of alcohol and Alcohol dependence

Interventions

Disulfiram Treatment Approach (DTA): This treatment approach, which would be conducted at University Psychiatry Unit at National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, would be characterised by disulfiram pr

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Meeting diagnostic criteria for harmful use of alcohol (F10.1 in lCD 10)/ alcohol abuse (305.00 in DSMIV) or alcohol dependence syndrome (F10.2 in lCD10)/ alcohol dependence (303.90 in DSMIV). 2. Age 14 years or above with consent from parents/ guardian if age is below 18. 3. Ability to communicate in Sinhala to a level commensurate with completing the recruitment assessment.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Meeting MINI (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview) diagnostic criteria for psychotic disorders and mood disorder with psychotic features (lifetime). 2. Having a past or current history of following conditions being clearly reported by patient or in available documents such as diagnosis cards: cardiac failure, coronary artery disease, history of cerebrovascular accident, hypertension. 3. Psychiatrist recommending a specific treatment approach (DTA, MTA or UTA) over others.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The amount of alcohol drunk in the preceding month via Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and by Time Line Fellow Back (TLFB) instruments. [0, 6 and 12 months, and 24 months ]	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Change in the alcohol use behaviour and related attitudes 2. Other aspects of functioning and health status via two instruments to measure attitudes and behaviours, produced specifically for this study 3. Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) to measure quality of life and health status. [0, 6 and 12 months, and 24 months ]	—

Countries

Sri Lanka

Contacts

Public ContactMahesh Rajasuriya

Senior Lecturer

Mahesh.Rajasuriya@gmail.com0112691688

Outcome results

None listed

Source: SLCTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 9, 2026