b'Comorbid Conditions Make Veterans Alcohol Use Disorder Even RiskierWhile alcohol use disorder is common among U.S. veterans, it often doesnt stand alone. Instead, AUD is frequently found as a comorbid condition with other psychiatric diagnoses or post-traumatic stress disorder. The combinations make the condition riskier and harder to treat.By Brenda L. MooneySANDIEGOAlcohol-usedisorderisrampantreportedthatlifetimeprevalenceofmild,moder-among U.S. veterans and associated with substantialate and severe AUD were 20.5%, 8.3% and 12.0%, psychopathology, including heightened odds of sui- respectively. cidal behaviors, according to a new study. Veterans with lifetime AUD had elevated rates of Resultsunderscoretheimportanceofcompre- psychiatric disorders and suicidal behavior, which hensive screening and preventive efforts for AUD,generally increased as a function of AUD severity, and interventions that concurrently target overlap- researchers noted. Lifetime AUD was also associ-ping alcohol use and psychiatric difficulties, wroteatedwithbeingyounger,male,white,unmarried, researchersfromtheVASanDiegoHealthcareretiredandexperiencingmoreadversechildhood System. experiences and traumas. For past-year AUD, being TheirreportinDrug&AlcoholDependenceyounger, male, white, having more adverse child-pointed out, Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a prev- hood experiences and experiencing lifetime PTSD alent public health concern in the U.S. that dispro- were significant correlates.portionatelyaffectsveteransrelativetocivilians.Other recent VA studies showed how certain comor-Given changes to the demographic composition ofbid conditions makes AUD even riskier for veterans.the veteran population and AUD diagnostic criteriaResearchers from the Durham, NC, VA Health Care intheDSM-5,updatedknowledgeregardingtheSystem noted, for example, that posttraumatic stress epidemiology of DSM-5 AUD in a national sampledisorder(PTSD)andalcoholusedisorder(AUD) of veterans is critical to informing the population-based burden of this disorder. 1To reach their conclusions, researchers analyzed Veterans with lifetime AUD data from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, which surveyed a nationally rep- had elevated rates of psychiatric resentativesampleof4,069U.S.veterans.The study team assessed lifetime DSM-5 AUD (mild,disorders and suicidal behavior, moderatesevere)andpast-yearDSM-5AUD using evaluation of validated self-report measureswhich generally increased as a andsociodemographic,militaryandpsychiatric characteristics. function of AUD severity. Thestudyfoundthatprevalenceoflifetimeand past-yearDSM-5AUDwere40.8%(95%confi- Study researchersdence interval [CI]=39.2-42.3%) and 10.5% (95% CI=9.6-11.5%), respectively. In addition, the authors Continued on Page 52 u47'