The integration of pharmacological therapy for comorbid psychiatric and addictive disorders.

The integration of pharmacological therapies for comorbid disorders requires an acceptance of independence and interactions of respective addictive and psychiatric disorders. At the same time, alcohol and other drugs induce psychiatric states that are indistinguishable from psychiatric disorders. On the other hand, while psychiatric disorders do not induce addictive use of alcohol and drugs, they do pose vulnerabilities to the development of addictive disorders. Generally, the treatment of comorbid disorders begins with abstinence and evaluation of the effects of alcohol and other drugs in contributing to the psychiatric picture. In the case of comorbid disorders, stabilization and standard treatments can be employed with certain cautions, namely, to avoid the use of addicting medications such as benzodiazepines and opiates beyond the detoxification stage. High potency neuroleptics and antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can be used to treat continuing psychiatric states after the exclusionary criteria in DSM-IV for substance-related disorders have been applied to the clinical case. If the psychiatric symptoms clear with sustained abstinence, little or no medications may be required. Specific treatment of the addictive disorders will often determine the extent that addictive disorders are responsible for psychiatric symptomatology. Alternatively, treatment of the psychiatric disorder will enhance compliance with addiction treatment.

Integration of generalized vulnerability to drug and alcohol addiction.

The vulnerability to develop addiction to alcohol has been well established in familial and genetic studies. Similar familial and genetic studies have supported a vulnerability to drug addiction. The co-occurrence of alcohol and drug addiction in the same individuals is highly prevalent in clinical populations. Common putative neurochemical mechanisms underlie addiction to both alcohol and drugs, namely, in the mesolimbic pathway and the locus ceruleus in the brain. Treatment strategies are directed at both alcohol and multiple drug addictions in patient populations. The formulation of a generalized vulnerability that extends to both alcohol and drug addiction is not only possible but necessary to explain the substantial numbers of individuals who develop both alcohol and drug addictions. Future research that is pertinent and relevant may depend on the understanding of a generalized vulnerability to develop alcohol and drug addiction and its application in diagnostic strategies and treatment models.