Assaultive alcoholics 20 years later

In a consecutive series of 257 alcoholics from an out-patient department 53 were judged as assaultive and 38 as suicidally inclined at the clinical examination 20 years ago. At the follow-up the assaultive alcoholics had a 3.3 times increased mortality rate, the suicidally inclined 1.9 times and the others 1.7 times compared with the general population. The assaultive alcoholics had an increased rate of suicides, intoxications and other alcohol-related deaths compared with other alcoholics. Repeated assaultive behaviour was uncommon. It is concluded that a skilled psychiatric evaluation of assaultive behaviour in alcoholism has an important predictive value.