Prevalence and Impact of Medical Disorders in Hospitalized Psychiatric Patients with Comorbid Substance Use Disorders

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of medical disorders and their impact on length of hospital stay among psychiatric patients with comorbid substance use disorders. The sample consisted of 87 patients with comorbid psychiatric and substance use disorders hospitalized in an urban, university based psychiatric hospital. Data for this cross-sectional study was obtained from a chart review of the index hospitalization and reports from available medical and psychiatric emergency department (ED) visits. Only 6 patients (7%) reported having no active medical conditions, whereas 27 subjects (31%) reported 3 or more medical conditions. Medical illness burden was associated with length of hospital stay and with recent use of medical ED services. Osteoarthritis, viral hepatitis C infection, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were the most commonly reported illnesses. Hospitalized comorbid psychiatric and substance use disorders patients have a high burden of medical disorders, which are associated with costly increased health care services utilization.