Clinical and epidemiological assessment of substance misuse and psychiatric comorbidity

The purpose of our review was to select, summarize and express opinions on a range of research studies published in 2011 on the clinical assessment, screening and monitoring of patients with substance use and psychiatric comorbidity, together with epidemiological and other relevant studies.

There was a wide range of publications on many aspects of comorbidity. The research was carried out on different populations in different treatment settings, including an alcohol and drug treatment centre, an emergency medical department, a community mental health centre, a methadone maintenance programme and inpatient unit, and in the community. Several structured or semi-structured interviews and self-administered instruments were used for the assessments of psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders and related problems. Each study has its strengths and weaknesses, with some studies reporting interesting new methodology or results, and others confirming what was already known about the subject.

The results of most studies support a high prevalence of substance misuse among individuals with psychiatric disorders and vice versa. Various aspects of the relationship between the two conditions are discussed.