SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AMONG INPATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER AND MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER IN A GENERAL-HOSPITAL

The prevalence and type of substance abuse and dependence were determi ned for 49 patients with mood disorders on a general hospital psychiat ric unit. A standardized diagnostic interview was conducted with a hig h value of interrater reliability. This study found that 18.4% of mood disorder inpatients met the diagnostic criteria for psychoactive subs tance use disorders by DSM-III-X. Sedatives-hypnotics anxiolytics was the most common substance rise disorder (10.2%), followed by alcohol ( 6.1.%). Patients with major de pression had a higher rate of comorbidi ty with substance use disorders than did the bipolar disorder patients (p = 0.011). The prevalence of sedatives-hypnotics-anxiolytics use di sorder among major depression patients Teas 35.7%, which was higher th at that among bipolar disorder patients (0%). Male patients had a sign ificantly higher percentage of substance use disorders than did female patients (p = 0.054). Seventy-seven percent of the patients with a du al diagnosis of mood and substance rise disorder were not diagnosed as having substance use disorders by psychiatrists ill charge. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.