PERSONALITY-DISORDERS IN DRUG-ABUSERS - PREVALENCE AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH AXIS-I DISORDERS AS PREDICTORS OF TREATMENT RETENTION

A sample of 226 drug-dependent individuals consecutively admitted to t reatment in the major therapeutic programmes in Greece were assessed a t intake with the EuropASI and SCL-90-R. At 4 to 6 weeks, 173 who were continuing treatment were reasssed with the SCL-90-R and interviewed with the SCID-R and the CIDI. Mean age of the subjects was 28 years, a nd 82.3% were male. Heroin was the main substance of abuse for the lar ge majority (89.8%). Prevalence of AXIS II personality disorders (PD) was 59.5% and the majority (61.2%) had more than one PD. Cluster B was diagnosed in almost half of the subjects (48.6%), Antisocial Personal ity Disorder (APD) being the most prevalent (33.5%) type of PD. Subjec ts with APD had an earlier age of initiation of illicit drug use than those without. Subjects with a PD had twice the odds of having a comor bid AXIS I diagnosis and three times the odds of having a mood disorde r than those without a PD. SCL-90-R assessments showed that psychiatri c symptoms were significantly reduced in the period between intake and the fourth week in treatment. Somatization, Depression and Anxiety sy mptoms were however less reduced in subjects with a PD than in those w ithout PD. Dropping out from treatment was more strongly predicted by AXIS I than AXIS II disorders, with an increased probability of droppi ng out in the presence of current mood disorders, whereas current anxi ety disorder predicted treatment retention. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.