THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY APPROACH IN DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT : A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

ABSTRACT Background: Therapeutic Communities (TCs) are drug-free environments in which a person with drug abuse problems are placed together in an organized and structured way to promote change toward recovery and reinsertion into society Objective: The purpose of this review was to determine the effectiveness of TC approach in drug treatment and rehabilitation, compared to other approaches. Methods : A systematic review of articles in the databases of PubMed Central, Pub Med, Ebesco Host – Psychological and Behavioral Science Collection and Science Direct found 540 publications based on the keywords (outcome, Therapeutic Community approach, drug abuse, treatment). Results: On further analysis, only 7 publications were accurately related to the topic and thus reviewed accroding to the protocol Conclusion: TC approach is a good alternative intervention of non-pharmacological treatment in drug abuse, as it can help drug abusers to mantain their recovery and enhance their quality of life. Keywords: outcome, Therapeutic Community approach, drug abuse, treatment.