Abstract

MARIN-NAVARRETE, Rodrigo et al. Comorbidity of substance abuse disorders with other psychiatric disorders in Mutual-Aid Residential Treatment Centers. Salud Ment [online]. 2013, vol.36, n.6, pp.471-479. ISSN 0185-3325.

Substance use disorders have a high degree of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders; it has been reported that the prevalence of comorbidity is higher in psychiatric (20-50%) and addiction (50-75%) treatment settings than in household or student populations. Because of limited treatment alternatives and greater treatment needs, Mutual-Aid groups have become relevant in the last decades. A modality of Mutual-Aid for addiction treatment that has proliferated in Mexico has taken the form of residential Mutual-Aid centers called "anexos" in Spanish. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of lifetime comorbidity between substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders in those who attended these residential Mutual-Aid centers. The initial sample consisted of 535 male participants diagnosed with a substance use disorder, but only 346 fulfilled the inclusion criteria to continue with the evaluation. Only males were included as the participating centers only admit males. Psychiatric diagnosis was evaluated with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) using DSM-IV criteria. The results showed that 75.72% met criteria for any comorbid psychiatric disorder, the most frequent being attention deficit and conduct disorders, followed by anxiety disorders, separation anxiety disorders, mood disorders, impulse control disorders and least frequently eating disorders. While the study is limited by its non-representative sample, the findings provide valuable information for a hidden population for which there is a dearth of information and points to the need for integrative services which address both addiction and comorbid psychiatric disorders simultaneously.

Keywords : Addiction; treatment settings; comorbidity; psychiatric disorders.

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