Female alcoholics. I. Alcohol dependence and problems associated with prescribed psychotropic drug use.

Abstract

A case note study of 518 alcohol-dependent (DSM-III) inpatients examined their reported past history of prescribed psychotropic drug use patterns between 1973-1985. The subjects were cross-matched for gender, age and admission date and stratified into 3 time periods. The characteristics of psychotropic medication recipients were compared with those patients who reported no use of licit medications. Statistical analysis by logistic regression indicated that there was a significant relationship between the past use of psychotropic drugs with a parental history of excessive alcohol intake, the higher levels of MAST scores and the occurrence of past parasuicide events. Patients in their middle years (35-54) tended to have received significantly less psychotropic drugs than the younger or older age groups. The female (70%) to male (48%) ratio of past psychotropic use was 1.4:1. Gender differences were also noted in the use of antidepressants and illicit substances.