Exploring the Comorbidity of Anxiety and Substance Use Disorders

Sonja Pasche

The high comorbidity of anxiety disorders (ADs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) has been repeatedly demonstrated among the general population [1, 2, 3•] and patients in treatment [4, 5]. A large-scale epidemiologic survey conducted in the United States found that having a SUD increased the risk of an AD by 1.7 to 2.8 times [1]. Similarly, Dutch data demonstrated that individuals with a pure AD were 2.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with alcohol dependence than controls [6]. Data from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication in the United States (n09,282) indicated a positive association between all ADs tested (social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia) and alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, drug abuse, and drug dependence [3•].   fulltext-5.pdf