Abstract
Chronic alcohol consumption causes early atrophy of gray matter in frontal, parietal, limbic system and cerebellum. Hence, alcoholics are more prone to develop common psychiatric conditions such as major depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, anxiety disorders, psychosis and dissocial personality disorder. So this study is done to determine the prevalence of psychiatric co-morbidity occurring in alcohol dependent patients. The existence of co-morbidity seems to influence the pattern and severity of drinking thereby adversely affecting the prognosis and treatment outcomes. Identifying the comorbid conditions helps to better outcome.
Methods: 100 patients admitted as inpatients diagnosed with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome under the Department of Psychiatry from August 2014 to November 2015 were included in this study. Socio-demographic data were filled in a semi-structured proforma for all subjects meeting the inclusion criteria. They were administered the MINI PLUS and IPDE Questionnaires to elicit the presence of any Axis I and Axis II disorders respectively.
Results: In this study consisting of 100 ADS patients, more than half (56%) of the patients were diagnosed with psychiatric co-morbidities. 92% of the alcohol dependent patients in the study were literate. 70% of the patients in the study started consuming alcohol at a very young age. 40% of the group was drinking for one to two decades. Among the psychiatric illnesses 27% suffered from affective spectrum disorders that are, 10% had bipolar mood disorder, 8% depressive illnesses, 8% hypomania, 8% dysthymia and 1% anxiety disorders, followed by 12% in the psychotic spectrum, that is, 6% had psychosis, 4% had delusional disorder and 2% had schizophrenia. Among all individual diagnosed with Axis II disorder (i.e., 38% of the ADS patients), 68.42% of them showed Dissocial personality disorder.
Keywords: Alcohol Dependence; Psychiatry Co-Morbidities.