Co-occurring Mental Health and Alcohol Misuse Symptoms: Dual Disorder Symptoms in Combat Injured Veterans.

摘要

Service members face difficulties during military deployment, potentially resulting in morbidities such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and alcohol misuse. The co-occurrence of alcohol misuse and mental health disorders is termed dual disorder and has been associated with adverse outcomes: psychological distress, diminished social functioning, poorer treatment adherence/response, and physical health problems. Current depression and PTSD symptoms were significant predictors of alcohol misuse. However, those whose symptoms of PTSD had resolved at followup were no more likely to misuse alcohol than those without PTSD symptoms. Predictors of dual disorder included sustaining a battle injury, and being junior enlisted and single. Veterans with dual disorder reported a significantly higher mean number of symptom complaints at the follow-up assessment compared with those with only mental health disorders. Our study provides suggestive evidence supporting the self-medication hypothesis, which posits that those with mental health disorders misuse alcohol to alleviate their symptoms. These results highlight the need for early evidence-based mental health treatment among those with dual disorder to reduce rates of veterans suffering from chronic mental health problems, problem drinking, and elevated health complaints.