Associations of common mental disorder with alcohol use in the adult general population

Research has shown that alcohol use and common mental disorders co-occur; however, little is known about how the global prevalence of alcohol use compares across different mental disorders.

This review examined:

(i) report global associations of alcohol use (alcohol use disorder (AUD), binge drinking and consumption) comparing those with and without common mental disorders 

(ii) how this differed among those with and without specific types of common mental disorders 

(iii) how results may differ by study characteristics.

Results:

A total of 512 papers were reviewed. Individuals with a common mental disorder had a twofold increase in the odds of reporting an alcohol use disorder.  The odds of having an alcohol use disorder were similar when stratified by the type of common mental disorder. There were no clear patterns for associations between having a common mental disorder and binge drinking or alcohol consumption, respectively.

Conclusion:

People with common mental disorders (depression, anxiety, phobia) are twice as likely to report an alcohol use disorder than people without common mental disorders.