La. Morrow et al., Increased incidence of anxiety and depressive disorders in persons with organic solvent exposure, PSYCHOS MED, 62(6), 2000, pp. 746-750
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the prevalenc
e of current and past DSM-IV axis I psychiatric disorders is higher among p
ersons with a history of exposure to organic solvents than among a demograp
hically similar group of nonexposed control subjects. Methods: Thirty-eight
solvent-exposed subjects and 39 nonexposed healthy control subjects were e
valuated for axis I disorder with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM
-IV. Results: A significantly higher number of solvent-exposed subjects (71
%) met criteria for current DSM-IV axis I disorder in comparison with contr
ol subjects (10%). The most prevalent diagnosis in exposed subjects was wit
hin the anxiety and mood clusters, with a high percentage (36%) of exposed
subjects meeting criteria for a dual diagnosis of mood and anxiety disorder
. There were no differences between the groups in past psychiatric disorder
s or current or past substance abuse or dependence. Conclusions: The rates
of past psychiatric disorders among solvent-exposed subjects are similar to
those among normal control subjects, but the prevalence of current DSM-IV
axis I psychiatric disorders is significantly higher among exposed subjects
than among control subjects.