[Identification and treatment of psychiatric comorbidity associated with alcoholism]

The importance of psychiatric comorbidity has been recently recognized. It may help to understand why a similar chronic disease has several clinical presentations. Concurrent psychiatric disorders associated with alcohol dependence worsen the prognosis for the patient. Depression and anxiety are frequently the consequence of chronic alcohol consumption; however, these disorders have been clearly identified, also as the primary disorder, which may be complicated secondarily by alcohol dependence. Therefore, the evaluation of concurrent psychiatric disorders is important because it allows for better therapeutic strategies, adjusted to specific problems of the patient. Cognitivo-behavioural therapies are thus more effective if they are combined with a specific approach to concurrent disorders.