Substance addiction, comorbidity, and central nervous transmitter systems

Abstract

Comorbid psychiatric disorders are a common finding in substance addicted subjects. They have an enormous impact on treatment costs, course and restriction in quality of life. Data from our research group are presented which, according to recent scientific literature, demonstrate a high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in alcohol-, opioid-, and nicotine-addicted individuals, before all of anxiety- and affective disorders. Seen from a different point of view a high prevalence of harmful substance use can be observed in patients with anxiety disorders or with borderline personality disorder. Substances abused are mostly alcohol and benzodiazepines. These findings may be related to possible dysfunctions of distinct central nervous transmitter systems.