Differential diagnosis of psychiatric comorbidity in substance abusers.

The differential diagnosis of psychiatric comorbidity in substance abusers is important in order to provide effective pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments for the comorbid psychiatric disorders. Differential diagnosis of an underlying psychiatric disorder depends on the type of drug abused and the phase of abuse, ranging from acute intoxication to withdrawal. This review derives guidelines for differential diagnosis based on multiple examples of interactions between major psychiatric disorders and various abused drugs.