Anxiety and Substance Abuse

substance abuseMatt Kushner, PhD discusses the issue of substance abuse in individuals with anxiety disorders. Because substance abuse is more common in those with anxiety in comparison to the rest of the population, Kushner has created a list of risk factors and screening tools to help doctors identify individuals experiencing both disorders.

Some risk factors for substance abuse in people who have already been diagnosed with anxiety disorders include using drugs and alcohol to deal with anxiety, a family history of anxiety and depressive disorders, binge drinking habits, being a male, or being younger.

Ways to screen for a substance abuse disorder is to look at a patient’s history of drug and alcohol abuse problems, the 4-item CAGE questionnaire, 10-item AUDIT, and a truncated 3-item version of the AUDIT. CAGE stands for cut down, annoyed, guilty, eye opener. AUDIT stands for Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test.

An example of some questions included in CAGE are:

  1. Have you felt you should cut down on your drinking?
  2. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
  3. Have you felt bad or guilty bout your drinking?
  4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning?

For more information about screening questions and the association between anxiety disorders and substance abuse, check out the rest of Kushner’s article at this link.