Related Experiment Videos
Alcoholism, anxiety disorders, and agoraphobia
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|January 1, 1984
Summary
Phobias are common in inpatient alcoholics, with nearly 25% diagnosed with various phobias. These patients often experience more severe dysphoria compared to non-phobic alcoholics.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Addiction Medicine
Background:
- Alcoholism is frequently comorbid with other psychiatric disorders.
- The prevalence and impact of specific phobias in inpatient alcoholics require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of phobias in a sample of inpatient alcoholics.
- To compare the severity of dysphoric feelings between phobic and non-phobic alcoholics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia--Life-time Version (SADS-L) for diagnosis.
- Employed the Brief Standard Self-rating for Phobic Patients questionnaire for self-reported phobic symptoms.
- Assessed 48 inpatient alcoholics.
Main Results:
- Approximately 25% of patients were diagnosed with agoraphobia, social, or mixed phobias.
- Anxiety disorders were diagnosed in 44% of patients, and major depression in 46%.
- Alcoholics with phobias reported more severe dysphoric feelings than those without phobias.
Conclusions:
- Phobias represent a significant comorbidity in inpatient alcoholics.
- The presence of phobias may be associated with increased psychological distress in individuals with alcohol use disorder.