Abstract
Introduction Underage drinking is associated with poor mental health. Early detection for risky alcohol use is recommended, although less implemented in adolescent care. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of risky alcohol use and psychiatric comorbidity. Methods Over a nine-month period, 145 eligible adolescents admitted to the child and adolescent emergency unit in Malmö, Sweden, were offered computerized screening with Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) and Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT). Results Ninety-six patients (73 girls and 23 boys) agreed to participate. The most common diagnoses were affective disorder (41%) and anxiety disorder (27%). Risky alcohol use was found among 33% of the girls and 22% of the boys (p=0.45) and did not differ between diagnostic categories. There was a positive correlation between AUDIT-C and DUDIT scores (p=0.019). Among adolescents with risky alcohol use, 33% of the girls and 60% of the boys also had a risky drug use. Conversely, 47% of the girls and 60% of the boys with risky drug use also had a risky alcohol use. Conclusion In view of the poor prognosis of risky alcohol use in adolescents, alcohol and drug habits should be assessed when adolescents seek psychiatric emergency care.
Highlights
Underage drinking is associated with poor mental health
We hypothesized that alcohol use could be common among adolescents with psychiatric emergencies, with a possibly heterogenous distribution among different diagnostic categories. e objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of risky alcohol use in a Swedish child and adolescent emergency psychiatric inpatient population and to study the association between risky alcohol use and psychiatric comorbidity, including risky drug use
All patients admitted to the emergency unit that did not meet any exclusion criteria were eligible for participation in the study (Figure 1)
Summary
Underage drinking is a serious public health problem associated with poor mental health in general and with depression, anxiety, and antisocial and aggressive behaviour [1, 2]. Risky alcohol use in general, and binge drinking in particular, is a risk factor for suicide and suicide attempts and for developing a substance use disorder (SUD) [11]. Computerized questionnaires may potentially be an efficient method that could be implemented in child and adolescent psychiatric care [18]. In this context, we hypothesized that alcohol use could be common among adolescents with psychiatric emergencies, with a possibly heterogenous distribution among different diagnostic categories. E objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of risky alcohol use in a Swedish child and adolescent emergency psychiatric inpatient population and to study the association between risky alcohol use and psychiatric comorbidity, including risky drug use We hypothesized that alcohol use could be common among adolescents with psychiatric emergencies, with a possibly heterogenous distribution among different diagnostic categories. e objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of risky alcohol use in a Swedish child and adolescent emergency psychiatric inpatient population and to study the association between risky alcohol use and psychiatric comorbidity, including risky drug use
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