title: Association between psychiatric symptoms and severity of alcohol dependence in a sample of brazilian men.
abstract: The objective of this study was to verify the association between psychiatric symptoms and severity of alcohol dependence in male patients who sought treatment in two Brazilian treatment sites. A cross-sectional study was designed with 36 cases stratified into two groups according to the severity of alcohol dependence ascertained by the Short Form Alcohol Dependence Data scale; participants also answered the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the Symptom Check List 90. The mean age of the sample was 46 years, and 63.9% fulfilled criteria for severe alcohol dependence. Obsessive-compulsive, depressive, and paranoid symptoms were the most common clinical findings in the sample. Patients with severe dependence showed higher scores of psychiatric symptoms compared with patients with mild/moderate dependence across all analyses (p < .05). These data suggest an association between severity of alcohol dependence and psychiatric symptoms, pointing at the relevance of early detection of this clinical situation.
authors.affiliation: Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Flávia Barros da Silva
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Flávio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pechansky
authors.forename: Marcelo Pio de Almeida
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Fleck
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Boni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index