CO-MORBIDITY OF LIFETIME PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDER AMONG MALE ALCOHOLIC PATIENTS

The lifetime co-morbidity of major psychiatric disorders among male alcoholics was examined with the structured Psychiatric Diagnostic Interview (PDI), which was administered to 928 patients undergoing alcoholism treatment at six Veterans Administration Medical Centers. Thirty-eight percent were positive for alcoholism only; 62% fulfilled inclusive lifetime diagnostic criteria for at least one other additional psychiatric syndrome. Thirty percent satisfied criteria for one additional syndrome; 16% for two additional syndromes; 12% for three; and 4% for four or more disorders in addition to alcoholism. Depression and antisocial personality were the most frequently identified cc-occurring syndromes (36% and 24%, respectively) followed by drug abuse and mania (17% each). The additional psychiatric syndromes in this sample were clearly not randomly distributed; instead, certain disorders tended to cluster together such as: drug abuse and antisocial personality; mania and depression; depression and anxiety disorder; and schizophrenia and affective disorder. Implications for classification and treatment are discussed.