Alcoholism, anxiety disorders, and agoraphobia

A group of 48 inpatient alcoholics were studied using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia--Life-time Version (SADS-L) and the Brief Standard Self-rating for Phobic Patients. Approximately one-quarter of the patients were diagnosed as suffering from agoraphobia and social and mixed phobias. Approximately 44% were diagnosed as suffering from anxiety disorders and 46% had suffered from an episode of major depression. Data from the self-rating questionnaire were consistent with the diagnostic data. The alcoholics with phobias had experienced more severe dysphoric feelings than nonphobic alcoholics with other psychiatric disorders.