Omer Saatcioglu
Bakirkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Istanbul, Turkey
Suicidal Behavior in Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Dependence. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2010, 540 pages.

The comorbidity of anxiety disorders and drug abuse is growing because of the prevalence and negative impact of comorbidity on course, treatment outcomes and prognoses of both disorders. Most of the studies investigating the comorbidity of anxiety disorders with alcohol and/or drug abuse disorders have focused on alcohol abuse. The number of studies of the relationship between drug abuse and anxiety disorders is relatively limited because of the varying impact of misused drugs on the Central Nervous System (CNS) and compliance issues for the populations being investigated. While discussion of the casual and chronological relationships between anxiety disorders and alcohol and/or drug abuse is ongoing, there are indisputable figures indicating that these two conditions may potentially coexist. The comorbidity of substance abuse and anxiety disorders is common and has important treatment implications. A combination of pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic strategies should be used in individuals with comorbidity for treatment, but much work remains to be done.