Hospitalization for Co-occurring Mood and Substance Disorders

A study in the current issue of the American Journal of Public Health has found that having a comorbid substance use disorder is an important predictor of hospitalization for mood disorders and re-hospitalization within 3-months of discharge. 15% of of individuals with a mood disorder (major depressive, bipolar, or both) had a substance use disorder, but 36% of cases admitted to inpatient and over 50% re-admitted within 3 months of discharge had a co-occurring substance use disorder.

The study used 1999-2000 adult data from the California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Texas Medicaid systems, but the findings may be relevant for adolescent populations to the extent that mood and substance use disorders often have onset in adolescence and are not fully addressed before adulthood.