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Mental and personality disorders and abstinence from alcohol: results from a national household survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2010

J. C. Skogen ,
A. Mykletun ,
C. P. Ferri ,
P. Bebbington ,
T. Brugha ,
J. Coid ,
H. Meltzer  and
R. Stewart
J. C. Skogen
Affiliation:
Section of Mental Health Research, Division of Psychiatry, Helse Fonna HF, Norway Alcohol and Drug Research Western Norway, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway Research Centre for Health Promotion, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway
A. Mykletun
Affiliation:
Research Centre for Health Promotion, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Mental Health, Oslo, Norway
C. P. Ferri
Affiliation:
King's College London (Institute of Psychiatry), London, UK
P. Bebbington
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK
T. Brugha
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
J. Coid
Affiliation:
Forensic Psychiatry Research Unit, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, UK
H. Meltzer
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
R. Stewart*
Affiliation:
King's College London (Institute of Psychiatry), London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: R. Stewart, MD, Institute of Psychiatry, Box P060; De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. (Email: r.stewart@iop.kcl.ac.uk)
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Abstract

Background

The beneficial outcomes associated with moderate compared with low alcohol intake or abstinence may be due to the inclusion of people as ‘low consumers’, who have stopped consumption because of poor health. We investigated the association between alcohol abstinence and symptoms of common mental disorder and personality disorder, distinguishing between lifelong abstinence and abstinence following previous consumption.

Method

Analyses were based on the British National Survey of Psychiatric Morbidity 2000, which sampled 8580 residents aged 16–74 years. Hazardous drinking (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) was excluded. Symptoms of common mental disorder (depression/anxiety) were identified by the Clinical Interview Schedule. The screening questionnaire of the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis II Personality Disorders was used to identify potential personality disorder. Self-reported alcohol abstinence was divided into lifelong abstinence and previous consumption. Previous consumers were asked why they had stopped. Covariates included socio-economic status, social activity and general health status.

Results

After adjustment, alcohol abstinence was associated with both common mental disorder symptoms and any personality disorder, but only for previous consumers, in whom odds ratios were 1.69 (95% CI 1.23–2.32) and 1.45 (95% CI 1.09–1.94). Associations were non-specific, being apparent for most individual mental disorder symptoms and personality disorder categories. More detailed analysis indicated that associations were again limited to previous consumers who reported ceasing alcohol consumption for health reasons.

Conclusions

Worse mental health in low alcohol consumers, particularly those who have previously ceased for health reasons, should be taken into account when interpreting associations between moderate (compared with low) alcohol consumption and beneficial health outcomes.

Keywords

Alcohol consumptionabstinencecommon mental disorderspersonality disorders
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 41 , Issue 4 , April 2011 , pp. 809 - 818
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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