Substance use, comorbid psychiatric disorders and suicide attempts in adult FASD patients

Advances in Dual Diagnosis, Ahead of Print. Purpose Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of developmental disabilities related to prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD is a life-long lasting condition with various neurocognitive impairments and deficits in daily-life functioning. Research also indicates that FASD patients have an increased prevalence for substance use, substance related disorders and other psychiatric disorders. In Germany, data on adult FASD patients and their mental health are rare. The purpose of this paper is to describe substance use and comorbid psychiatric disorders (in addition to FASD) and suicide attempts in adult FASD patients. Design/methodology/approach The German version of the structured “Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)” was administered to a convenience sample of patients attending a specialized FASD diagnostic service at a German university hospital to assess psychiatric disorders. Current and lifetime substance use were examined using sections from the Ge rman version of the “European Addiction Severity Index (EUROP-ASI-R)” interview. Findings In total, 31 adults with FASD were included. Two patients were diagnosed with a substance related disorder, one for alcohol and one for cannabis. Nearly half of all patients fulfilled the diagnostic crite ria for mild mental retardation, a further 16 per cent fulfilled the criteria for another current comorbid psychiatric disorder. In total, 26 per cent reported...
Source: Advances in Dual Diagnosis - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research