Alcohol abuse and mental distress of psychiatric and neurologic patients

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of alcohol abuse and mental distress of psychiatric and neurologic inpatients, and to compare the relationship between abuse and distress in the two patient groups. Consecutively admitted patients to the departments of neurology (n=60) and psychiatry (n=78) filled out the AUDIT, GHQ-30, and an alcohol abuse symptom inventory. Furthermore, all medication and diagnoses were recorded. Of the neurologic patients 3–7% and of the psychiatric patients 16–25% can be estimated to abuse alcohol. More than 90% of the psychiatric patients and 48% of the neurologic patients score above case level on GHQ. Only 3% of the neurologic patients received a psychiatric diagnosis by their neurologist, but a third received psychotropic medications. No association was found between the GHQ score and the AUDIT score if the “ward effect” was adjusted for. In conclusion, psychiatric distress is significant on neurologic wards, but the rate of alcohol abuse is similar to that found in the population. On the psychiatric wards the prevalence of alcohol abuse is similar to what has been found elsewhere, in spite of good access to alcohol treatment facilities.

Alcohol abuse, Comorbidity, GHQ-30, Psychiatric distress.