REPORTED COMORBIDITY OF MENTAL-DISORDERS WITH SUBSTANCE-ABUSE AMONG PSYCHIATRIC-INPATIENTS IN ISRAEL

In preparation for shifting of care from psychiatric hospital to the c ommunity, the prevalence of substance abuse comorbidity among discharg ed psychiatric patients was studied. Such patients are not usually tre ated by substance abuse programs or mental health clinics. Data from t he Israeli National Psychiatric Case Registry were analyzed on reporte d substance abuse among all 53,379 psychiatric discharges during 1989- 92. The Registry consists of data that physicians are mandated to repo rt on all patients. The authors found that reported substance abuse co morbidity was 13.2% for males and 3.6% for females. Patients with a di agnosis of personality disorder had the most reported substance abuse. Reported drug abuse for males increased with age until age 45, and al cohol abuse until age 65. Drug and alcohol abuse by females is the hig hest for the patients under age 24 and declines with an increase in ag e. The results were almost identical for each of the four years studie d. The results suggest that developing special outpatient facilities t o serve this group will be impractical because of the small numbers, W ays of serving these patients in existing community mental health cent ers are discussed.