Kamala Deka1, Manju Partha Baruah2, Dipjyoti Bora3
BACKGROUND
There has been an increased rate of diagnosis of alcohol dependent syndrome
(ADS) observed in our psychiatry clinic constituting a major portion of them into
inpatients care. Evaluation of psychiatric complaints in patients with alcohol
dependant syndrome is challenging at times. Depression has been found to be a
common psychological association seen in them. Suicidality and other selfharming
behaviour as a co morbidity are also not uncommon. There is dearth of
information available on occurrence of alcohol dependent syndrome in psychiatry
attendees and pattern of alcohol use especially from this part of north-eastern
region of Assam. We wanted to assess the occurrence and pattern of alcohol use
disorder amongst patients attending psychiatry unit of a tertiary care centre in
upper Assam, estimate its bed occupancy rate, and determine psychiatric
comorbidity among them.
METHODS
A hospital based cross sectional study was conducted among 104 consecutive
subjects attending Psychiatry department of Jorhat Medical College, Assam. After
thorough examination and informed written consent subjects were administered
with alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT) and MINI plus. Semi
structured socio demographic Proforma was used to collect information on
demographic data and different variables. As it was a descriptive study, data
collected were organized in frequency tables and analysed using percentage.
RESULTS
In present study, prevalence of alcohol dependent syndrome in psychiatry set up
was 12.68 % and bed occupancy rate of ADS was 13 %. Majority were between
the age 28 and 47 years, males, Hindus, married, belonged to nuclear family and
hailed from upper lower social class followed by lower middle class.
Approximately 18 % of cases had psychiatric co morbidity and majority of them
had depression and suicidality.
CONCLUSIONS
A major number of alcohol dependant patients attended psychiatry OPD and
occupied almost half of the beds as inpatients of a tertiary care hospital. Mood
disorder was the commonest comorbid condition in these patients. Though the
results cannot be generalized, it may definitely reflect the magnitude of alcohol
use in this region. Hence forth a psychiatry unit like ours warrant a full-fledged
department for treatment of ADS and alcohol related problems and some policy
to work for its prevention.
