Author/Editor		Rus-Makovec, Maja; Čebašek-Travnik, Zdenka
Title		Co-occurring mental and somatic diagnoses of alcohol dependent patients in relation to long-term aftercare alcohol abstinence and well-being
Type		članek
Source		Psychiatr Danub
Vol. and No.		Letnik 20, št. 2
Publication year		2008
Volume		str. 194-207
Language		eng
Abstract		Objectives: There are many evidences of co-morbidity influence on alcohol dependency treatment outcome. We were interested in the question 'Do alcohol dependent patients with different co-occurring mental and medical conditions significantly differ in subjective attributes of well-being and in abstinence rate two years after the end of intensive alcohol dependency treatment'. Subjects and methods: 222 ex - patients participated in the research 24 months after the end of intensive alcohol dependency treatment, 74% of them males (mean age = 46.17, SD = 8.79) and 26% females (mean age = 46.35, SD = 8.10). Results: No significant differences were found in any dependent variable regarding any independent variable in "presence of any somatic diagnose" (yes/no) and "personality disorders". "Depressive vs. non depressive" differed significantly only in the evaluation of important interpersonal relations, while "anxious vs. non - anxious" and "benzodiazepine dependent vs. nondependent" significantly differed in all self - evaluations, except in evaluation of important interpersonal relations. No significant differences were found between (non)abstinents regarding any of six categories of mental disorder and medical conditions (yes/no) and no significant differences were found in any self - evaluation regarding the participation in different kinds of after-care. A greater number of patients continued to abstain from alcohol if they continued in aftercare 24 months after the end of intensive treatment. Conclusion: Patients with different somatic and mental co-occurring disorders did not differ in abstinence rate. However, membership in after-care 24 months after the end of intensive therapy significantly contributed to the abstinence rate. Abstinence was found to be connected with more positive self-evaluation. Patients with somatic co-occurring diagnoses tended to have more positive self-perceptions than patients with co-occurring mental disorders.
Descriptors		MENTAL DISORDERS COMORBIDITY ALCOHOLISM TEMPERANCE SMOKING BENZODIAZEPINES SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCE