Comorbidity of mood disorders and substance use disorder

Abstract

Background - Numerous studies in various countries have documented comorbidity of mood disorders and substance use disorder, but little have been published on this subject from Iran. This study was performed to investigate such comorbidity in patients with substance use disorder. Methods - The subjects of the study were 1,017 opioid-dependent patients referred to or taken care of in Razi Psychiatric Hospital and Private Psychiatric Clinic of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. They were assessed by means of Symptom Check List-90 Revised (SCL-90 R), the fourth edition of diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) criteria and Beck test which had been translated to Persian in three years (from August 1998 to July 2000). All of the subjects were unpaid and volunteers. We used SPSS 11.5 for our statistical analysis and ethical principles were considered in all stages of the study. Results -The comorbidity rate of all types of mood disorders with every substance use disorder was found in 71.2% of all subjects. Of the studied subjects, 31.2% were of low education (could only read and write). The frequency of dysthymic disorder was 6.6% and the mean score of global assessment function was 57.6%. Conclusion - The comorbidity of psychiatric disorders, especially mood disorders, with substance use disorder is frequent, with the most potent and generous substances having the highest comorbidity rates.