title: A cross-sectional study of patients with and without substance use disorders in Community Mental Health Centres.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiological studies have consistently established high comorbidity between psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders (SUD). This comorbidity is even more prominent when psychiatric populations are studied. Previous studies have focused on inpatient populations dominated by psychotic disorders, whereas this paper presents findings on patients in Community Mental Health Centres (CMHCs) where affective and anxiety disorders are most prominent. The purpose of this study is to compare patients in CMHCs with and without SUD in regard to differences in socio-demographic characteristics, level of morbidity, prevalence of different diagnostic categories, health services provided and the level of improvement in psychiatric symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of the evaluation of the National Plan for Mental Health, all patients seen in eight CMHCs during a 4-week period in 2007 were studied (n = 2154). The CMHCs were located in rural and urban areas of Norway. The patients were diagnosed according to the ICD-10 diagnoses and assessed with the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales, the Alcohol Use Scale and the Drug Use Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with SUD in CMHCs are more frequently male, single and living alone, have more severe morbidity, less anxiety and mood disorders, less outpatient treatment and less improvement in regard to recovery from psychological symptoms compared to patients with no SUD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CMHCs need to implement systematic screening and diagnostic procedures in order to detect the special needs of these patients and improve their treatment.
authors: Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway. l.e.wusthoff@medisin.uio.no
authors: Linda E
authors: LE
authors: Wüsthoff
authors: Helge
authors: H
authors: Waal
authors: Torleif
authors: T
authors: Ruud
authors: Rolf W
authors: RW
authors: Gråwe
references: Addiction. 1993 Jun;88(6):791-804
references: 8329970
references: Am J Psychiatry. 2001 Jul;158(7):1091-8
references: 11431231
references: Am J Psychiatry. 1996 Sep;153(9):1195-201
references: 8780425
references: CNS Spectr. 2004 Dec;9(12):926-36, 942
references: 15618941
references: Addict Behav. 2006 Jul;31(7):1252-8
references: 16137835
references: Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2000 Dec;102(6):432-8
references: 11142432
references: JAMA. 1990 Nov 21;264(19):2511-8
references: 2232018
references: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2001 Aug;36(8):399-406
references: 11766970
references: Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1996 Jan;66(1):17-31
references: 8720638
references: Addict Behav. 1998 Nov-Dec;23(6):893-907
references: 9801724
references: BMC Psychiatry. 2007 Jun 26;7:29
references: 17594479
references: Br J Psychiatry. 1998 Jan;172:11-8
references: 9534825
references: Am J Psychiatry. 1991 Aug;148(8):1086
references: 1853961
references: Nord J Psychiatry. 2009;63(2):113-9
references: 18991157
references: J Nerv Ment Dis. 1980 Jan;168(1):26-33
references: 7351540
references: Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1989 Mar;40(3):297-9
references: 2917741
references: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007 May;64(5):566-76
references: 17485608
references: J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2005 Jun;12(3):268-74
references: 15876232
references: Schizophr Bull. 1998;24(3):443-55
references: 9718636
references: Schizophr Bull. 1990;16(1):31-56
references: 2333480
references: Psychopharmacol Bull. 1973 Jan;9(1):13-28
references: 4682398
references: Br J Psychiatry. 1999 May;174:432-4
references: 10616611
references: JAMA. 1989 Sep 8;262(10):1352-7
references: 2761036
references: Nord J Psychiatry. 2009;63(1):72-7
references: 19034727
references: Eur Addict Res. 2005;11(1):22-31
references: 15608468
references: Schizophr Bull. 1998;24(1):11-20; discussion 20-32
references: 9502543
references: Br J Psychiatry. 1976 Mar;128:280-9
references: 1252693
references: Psychiatr Serv. 2005 Aug;56(8):954-9
references: 16088012
references: Biometrics. 1977 Mar;33(1):159-74
references: 843571
references: Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2007 Nov;41(11):896-902
references: 17924242
references: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;64(7):830-42
references: 17606817
references: Nord J Psychiatry. 2011 Feb;65(1):58-64
references: 20507263
references: Schizophr Bull. 1990;16(1):57-67
references: 2333482
references: Cogn Behav Ther. 2005;34(4):207-15
references: 16498749