Alcoholism and Affective Disorder among Patients in a Dublin Hospital

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Abstract
Among 300 alcoholic men admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Dublin, Ireland, 65% were diagnosed as primary alcoholics (with no formal psychiatric disorder) and 35% were diagnosed as exhibiting unequivocal evidence of affective disorder. The demographic, family and social, and drinking-history characteristics of the 2 groups were similar, except that the primary alcoholics were younger (45 vs. 43 yr) and fewer reported depression in siblings (14 vs. 28%) and in other family members (7 vs. 16%). The primary alcoholics spent less time in hospital (34 vs. 44 days), reported a longer prehospitalization drinking episode (39 vs. 27 wk) and had fewer diagnosis of depression (10 vs. 81%); they reported fewer previous admissions to the same hospital (1.8 vs. 2.7), fewer were prescribed hypnotics (14 vs. 25%) and antidepressants (14 vs. 58%) and more were prescribed disulfiram (54 vs. 41%); they received fewer electroshock treatments (0.5 vs. 18.9). A history of affective disorder was reported by 16% of the primary alcoholics and by 85% of the affective-disorder alcoholics; previous treatment for depression was reported by 7 and 63%, respectively. The proportion of alcoholics with diagnosed affective disorder (21% of all alcoholics admitted to the hospital) is high compared with alcoholics in other countries.

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