Alcohol dependence among patients admitted to psychiatric emergency services.
We assessed the prevalence of alcohol dependence among patients examined in the psychiatric emergency service of a general hospital. We compared socio-demographic data and psychiatric status of patients with and without alcohol dependence. One-hundred and four consecutive patients received by the psychiatric emergency service of Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital (Paris, France) were assessed. Diagnosis of alcohol dependence, acute alcohol intoxication, and antisocial personality was determined according to DSM-IV criteria. Other psychiatric disorders were identified using a structured psychiatric interview, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Prevalency rate of alcohol dependence was 37.5% among patients examined by the psychiatric emergency service. Alcohol-dependent patients were more often men than women and more often unemployed than non-alcohol-dependent psychiatric emergencies. They presented more dysthymia, acute alcohol intoxication, and antisocial personality than non-alcoholic patients followed by the psychiatric emergency service. Attempted suicide was as frequent in alcohol-dependent patients (23%) as in other patients (29%). Alcohol-dependent patients consumed alcohol more often when alone, and their alcohol consumption began more frequently in the morning. Patients seen in a psychiatric emergency service must be identified as a population at risk for alcohol dependence (37.5%). Alcohol-dependent patients are more often men and have a higher rate of unemployment. They present significantly more often dysthymia and acute alcohol intoxication associated to alcohol dependence.
Lejoyeux
M
M
Department of Psychiatry, Hopital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, France.
Boulenguiez
S
S
Fichelle
A
A
McLoughlin
M
M
Claudon
M
M
Adès
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data