Dual diagnosis in immigrant patients with alcohol use disorder: 2-years of follow-up treatment

Abstract

Introduction. There is a high prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders in alcohol abuse disorder. The presence of dual diagnosis in patients decreases the maintenance of abstinence and increases the likelihood of relapse, which makes treatment more complicated. The aims of this study are: to investigate the progression along two years of treatment of a sample of migrant patients affected by alcohol abuse disorder associated with psychiatric disorders, comparing it with a sample of migrant patients without dual diagnosis and investigating the diagnoses of comorbid psychiatric pathology with alcohol abuse disorder.

Methods. Two populations of migrant patients with alcohol abuse disorder (DSM-5) were compared, one with comorbid psychiatric disorders consisting of 219 patients and the other of 169 patients without dual diagnosis.

Results and conclusions. The most frequent psychiatric disorders associated with alcohol use disorder are personality disorders (51,6%), adjustment and depressive disorders (22,8%), anxiety disorders (15,5%), eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders (5,9%), bipolar disorders (5%) and schizophrenia (2,3%). The two-year follow-up treatment shows that 27% of immigrant sample with dual diagnosis remains in abstinence compared to 41,4% of those who only suffer from alcohol use disorder: Worse outcomes are observed in patients with dual diagnosis.