Comorbidity of alcohol dependence and personality disorders: a comparative study

Alcohol Alcohol. 2007 Nov-Dec;42(6):618-22. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agm050. Epub 2007 Aug 31.

Abstract

Aims: To describe the frequency and profile of personality disorders related to alcohol dependence, and to compare them with non-addictive disorders and with normal population.

Methods: In this cross-sectional clinical-epidemiological study, using the International Personality Disorder Examination and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II for personality disorders, 158 consecutively recruited alcohol-dependent patients attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic were compared with 120 consecutively recruited psychiatric patients with non-addictive disorders, and 103 subjects from the general population chosen to match the patient samples for age, gender and socioeconomic level.

Results: Of the alcohol-dependent patients, 44.3%, and of the general clinical sample, 21.7% (vs 6.8% of the normative sample) showed at least one personality disorder. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorders were most prevalent (12%), followed by antisocial, paranoid and dependent personality disorders (7% each). Most of them showed only one personality disorder.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Alcoholism / diagnosis
  • Alcoholism / epidemiology*
  • Alcoholism / psychology*
  • Comorbidity
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry) / methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Personality Disorders / diagnosis
  • Personality Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Personality Disorders / psychology*
  • Prevalence
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales