Epidemiological and diagnostic axis I gender differences in Dual Diagnosis patients

Introduction: Dual diagnosis is the co-occurrence of a substance abuse disorder and a psychiatric condition. Gender has been found to be associated with differences in prevalence of mental disorders as well as outcome, prognosis and treatment-seeking. Material and Methods: Articles published in Medline, Web of Science and Journal Citation Reports up to December 2009 that examined gender, prevalence and clinical characteristics of dual-diagnosis patients aged over 18 were reviewed. Conclusions: The distribution of Axis I disorders by gender is similar for dually diagnosed patients and single-disorder patients. The prevalence of psychotic and bipolar disorders is higher in men, whereas anxiety and affective disorders are more prevalent in women. Dually diagnosed females with psychotic disorders do not show better prognosis than men. Finally, polydrug use among dual-diagnosis individuals is more prevalent in males.