Symptom heterogeneity in comorbid alcohol disorder

The heterogeneity of signs and symptoms of alcohol disorder was examined in a community sample of 1,955 persons with either alcohol disorder alone or alcohol disorder plus one of four categories of major mental disorder (antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, affective disorder, anxiety disorder). When all diagnostic categories were combined, persons with comorbid mental and alcohol disorders showed evidence of more severe alcohol-related symptoms than did persons with alcohol disorder alone. Distinct symptom patterns distinguished the four diagnostic groups, reflecting heterogeneity in the manifestation of comorbid alcohol disorder. Most notably, comorbid antisocial personality disorder and schizophrenia were associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption and more severe social consequences of alcohol use. These findings substantiate the need for development of specialized dual diagnosis programs and suggest that additional specialization may be required to address diagnostic group differences in the characteristics of comorbid alcohol disorder.