comorbidity of mood and anxiety disorders and substance abuse among treatment-seeking addicts and normal individuals

objectives : the study was designed to examine the comorbidity of pathological mood and anxiety disorders among hospitalized addicts and normal individuals.   method : fifty male addicts (n=50), hospitalized in a psychiatric center, in west of iran, and fifty normal subjects (n=50) were selected. the subjects were matched in terms of demographic characteristics. the subjects in both groups were interviewed and were administered diagnostic instruments. the assessment and diagnosis of co-occurrence of mood and anxiety among the addicts who had voluntarily sought treatment, were carried out at least two weeks after hospitalization, i.e. after detoxification was completed and withdrawal symptoms were relieved. bdi and stai-y questionnaire were used for screening, and the presence of symptoms were using dsm-iv criteria and the clinical evaluation by the psychiatrist in charge. findings : the results demonstrated that 72.3% of the addicts met the diagnostic criteria for mood and anxiety disorders. the most common disorders proved to be major depression (66%) and generalized anxiety (12%).