Background and objective: Alcohol and drug dependent patients present a higher psychiatric comorbidity, which increases according to the number of drugs. Moreover, there are complications from the treatment and the prognosis is aggravated. We aimed to observe the differences regarding personality disorders (PD) and cognitive deterioration between alcohol dependent patients and patients who were benzodiazepine dependent as well.
Patients and method: Transversal study. Comparison between benzodiazepine-abusers (BZD+) and non-abusers (BZD-) from a cohort of 401 alcoholic inpatients under detoxification treatment.
Results: 28.1% of patients had benzodiazepine abuse or dependence (n=113). There was a higher proportion of women and PD within the BZD+ group (50.4% and 25.7%) than in the BZD- group (20.1% and 15.6%). They were of similar age -mean (standard deviation): 48,2 (10) versus 47,4 (10) years- and presented a smaller frequency, although not significant, of neuropsychological deterioration (19% versus 26%). This difference was stronger in women (8.8% versus 36.2%) than in men (30.4% versus 23%).
Conclusions: Benzodiazepine consumption predominates in women and in patients with PD. In women it tends to occur before alcohol addiction and is related to a PD, decreasing alcohol consumption and the frequency of cognitive deterioration. This deterioration is more frequent in men because of higher alcohol consumption, since benzodiazepines are taken later when deterioration has already started, to diminish withdrawal symptoms.