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Comorbid Mental and Substance Disorders among Older Psychiatric Patients
Author(s) -
Speer David C.,
Bates Kathie
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1992.tb01984.x
Subject(s) - medicine , personality disorders , psychiatry , comorbidity , epidemiology , depression (economics) , substance abuse , prevalence of mental disorders , alcohol use disorder , personality , mental health , alcohol , psychology , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics , biochemistry , chemistry
Objective To investigate the rate and configurations of current comorbid mental and substance disorders among older psychiatric patients. Design A descriptive, retrospective study. Setting A non‐acute, public residential psychiatric treatment facility for adults 55 years of age and older (mean length of stay: 3 months). Patients 128 patients discharged during a 2‐year period. Measures DSM‐III‐R diagnoses, demographic and history data. Results The overall prevalence rate of concurrent mental and substance disorders during the present treatment episode was 21%. This is comparable to the 6‐month rate of 19.8% found in the Epidemiological Catchment Area Study among adults in treatment (all ages). Nearly 50% of the dually diagnosed subsample received more than two diagnoses, with 60% of the subsample receiving a personality disorder diagnosis. Concurrent affective, alcohol, and personality disorder diagnoses were common. Conclusion Older patients with comorbid substance‐use and mental disorders may differ substantively from comorbid younger patients. Among older patients in an intermediate‐term psychiatric facility, the triple occurrence of alcoholism personality disorder and depression was common.