ANDREZZA FONTES
Psicóloga, especialista em dependência química e mestranda pelo Departamento de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp), pesquisadora da Unidade de Pesquisa em Álcool e Drogas (UNIAD) da Unifesp.
NELIANA BUZI FIGLIE
Psicóloga, coordenadora do Ambulatório de Álcool da UNIAD da Unifesp
RONALDO LARANJEIRA
Professor adjunto do Departamento de Psiquiatria da Unifesp, coordenador da UNIAD da Unifesp.

Abstract:

Background: Alcohol dependents seeking specialized alcohol treatment present modest rates of success in treatment programs. Alcohol dependents with gastrointestinal diseases present a worse prognostic and increased mortality rate compared with other non-alcoholic gastroenterology outpatients and the general population. Objective: To present the results of a study verifying outcomes of alcohol dependents following their treatment in one of two different clinic types. Methods: Follow-up study on 228 alcohol dependents: 114 from a specialist alcohol treatment service and 144 from a gastroenterology clinic, both located within the Hospital São Paulo (Unifesp). Results: A high rate of mortality was found for the overall sample (15%; n = 34), with 70.5% (n = 24) of these deaths occurring in the gastroenterology clinic. The outpatients from the specialist alcohol treatment service were younger and more severely dependent on alcohol, having suffered from more alcohol-related problems in both emotional and mental health aspects. Patients in the gastroenterology group reported less pain but greater social compromise. Conclusion: Constant adaptation of interventions to meet alcohol dependents’ needs was evidenced, along with a need to implement more effective treatment approaches, coupled with psychosocial interventions to tackle drink use within the gastroenterology clinic itself.

Keywords:Alcoholic drinks, alcoholism, gastroenterology, treatment, follow-up studies.