Newswise–Men with alcohol dependence who also have a history of mental health issues or hazardous drug use were significantly more likely to have attempted suicide, according to a study just published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.
The large Japanese study found that one in five men being treated for alcohol dependence had a history of mental health issues, and fifteen percent had attempted suicide. The study highlights opportunities for earlier and multifaceted interventions, including suicide prevention, to address the needs of people with alcohol dependence and mental health issues.
Researchers analyzed data from four thousand men in inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence in Japan to understand how common it was for men in inpatient treatment for alcohol dependence to have co-occurring concerns, such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia, and any relationships that might exist between these concerns and patterns of drug and alcohol use onset, and other health and genetic factors.
The analysis revealed a high prevalence of a history of mental comorbidities, mainly mood disorders and suicide attempts. More than 600 of the four thousand men had attempted suicide. Twenty percent of men in the study had a history of a mental health issue, with 14 percent reporting the most common diagnosis of depression. Five percent of participants reported drug use, with more than half trying drugs for the first time in their teens, and a third starting in their twenties, and almost all using drugs before the onset of advanced alcohol use disorder.
Drinking appeared to affect the men’s mental health both before and after the onset of advanced alcohol use disorder, pointing to a cycle where mental health issues may contribute to problem drinking, which in turn worsens mental health issues. Most were diagnosed with a mental health issue at some point after they began drinking regularly. Mood disorders were most commonly diagnosed around the time that men’s alcohol use disorder became advanced. In contrast, disorders such as anxiety and schizophrenia more commonly occurred before the onset of advanced alcohol use disorder. Insomnia more often began after the onset of advanced alcohol use disorder. Thirty-five percent of those who attempted suicide did so before their alcohol use disorder became advanced, and half attempted suicide after the onset of advanced alcohol use disorder.
Participants received their first mental health diagnosis at an average age of 40 years old and had experienced an average lag of nine years after the onset of advanced alcohol use disorder before receiving treatment for alcohol dependence. Men with mental health issues had an earlier onset of advanced alcohol use disorder and were first treated for alcohol dependence at younger ages than their counterparts without mental health issues.
The study’s findings point to an opportunity for earlier identification and treatment of problem drinking and mental health issues when a healthcare provider recognizes either issue in a patient. Both behavioral and medication interventions have been shown to help treat both mental health and alcohol use disorders.
