A STUDY OF SUBSYNDROMAL AND SYNDROMAL PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY AMONG MALE PATIENTS WITH ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE

Objectives: The aims of this research were to study the frequency and pattern of subsyndromal and syndromal psychiatric morbidity in male patients with alcohol dependence, and the relationship of subsyndromal psychiatric morbidity with severity and duration of alcohol use in male patients with alcohol dependence. Methods: The sample were male patients suffering from alcohol dependence, admitted for treatment at Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre (DATRC) ward of Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) Hospital for more than 3 weeks. A period of 12 months was taken and total sample size was fifty patients (n=50). Chief outcome measure was development of psychiatric morbidity, independent of signs and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Results: In this study, 38% of patients had onset of alcohol use at the age of between 10 to 20 years and 46% between 20 to 30 years. Majority (52%) of patients had relatively short duration of alcohol dependence i.e. less than 10 years. There was presence of significant amount of subsyndromal psychiatric morbidity even in 34 patients without diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Somatization was present in 3 patients, hostility in 3, paranoid ideation in 3, and positive symptom distress index (PSDI) was positive in 4 patients. Out of 50 patients, psychiatric disorder was present in 16 (32%) patients; depressive disorder was the most common psychiatric morbidity, being present in 6 (12%) patients. Among other disorders, anxiety disorders were present in 5(10%) patients, mania in 2(4%) patients, and schizophrenia in 2 (4%) patients, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) along with depressive disorder in 1(2%) patients. Conclusions: There was presence of psychiatric disorders in 32% of patients with alcohol dependence. Depressive disorder (37.5%) is the most common psychiatric disorder followed by anxiety disorders (31.25%), mania (12.5%), schizophrenia (12.5%) and OCD along with depressive disorder (6.25%). Among patients without any diagnosable psychiatric disorders, 9 (26%) had subsyndromal psychiatric morbidity.