A cross sectional study among patients with co-morbidities of alcohol dependence and mental illness admitted in Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata

Substance abuse with other psychiatric comorbid disorders poses complex diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Co-morbidity is frequently associated with high rates of continued substance abuse, greater psychosocial impairment and increased utilization of services1,2. Similarly, it has been noticed that proper intervention for coexisting psychiatric morbidities may improve the outcome for the alcohol dependence3. The variations in figures of co-existing psychiatric disorders is understandable in view of the widely used different diagnostic criteria, the different populations studied and different settings4. It is therefore very difficult to compare the studies which are carried out in different Background : Psychiatric comorbidities are not very uncommon particularly in alcohol dependent patients. They are sometime very difficult to treat and overall prognosis is unpredictable most of the time. Aims : To measure the prevalence of several psychiatric comorbidities in patients with alcohol dependence. Settings and design : The study assessed the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities among 100 alcohol dependent patients admitted in Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata. Methods and Material : A semistructuredproforma and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) diagnostic tools were used among alcohol dependent patients who met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Statistical Analysis used : Statistical analysis was done by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). results : The psychiatric comorbidities among alcohol dependent patients were depression (32%), Bipolar affective disorder (20%), Anxiety disorder (18%), Personality disorder (10%), Schizophrenia (10%). conclusions : Most of the patients in this study were males. Those of (V-X) educational standard, male persons of mean age group 25.4 years and having monthly family income of Rs 1,000 5,000 were most vulnerable group of alcohol dependence with comorbidities. The most common psychiatric comorbidity was depression (32.5%). Key-Words : Alcohol dependence, Substance abuse, Psychiatric comorbidities. Key Message : Alcohol abuse is a great worldwide problem and psychiatric comorbidities are not uncommon with alcohol dependence. However, the co-morbidity with substance problems is underreported and understudied. Early detection and prompt intervention to treat alcohol dependence is essentially needed to overcome this burning problem. dr. Ajay Halder1, dr. uday Sankar Mandal2, dr. Sikha Mukhopadhyay3. dr. Abhijit chakraborty4 (MBBS, DPM), dr. tamoghna Bandopadhyay5 (MBBS), dr. Arghya Halder6 (MBBS) 1,3,4,5,6Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata 2 Department of Psychiatry, R. G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata A cross sectional study among patients with co-morbidities of alcohol dependence and mental illness admitted in Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata-a