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Increased Incidence of Anxiety and Depressive Disorders in Persons With Organic Solvent Exposure

From the Department of Psychiatry (L.A.M., G.R.B., L.S., R.C.), University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Psychology (C.G.), Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York; and Armstrong Occupational Health Care (A.S.), Armstrong County Memorial Hospital, Kittanning, Pennsylvania.

Address reprint requests to: Lisa Morrow, PhD, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Email: morrowla{at}msx.upmc.edu

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the prevalence of current and past DSM-IV axis I psychiatric disorders is higher among persons with a history of exposure to organic solvents than among a demographically similar group of nonexposed control subjects.

METHODS: Thirty-eight solvent-exposed subjects and 39 nonexposed healthy control subjects were evaluated for axis I disorder with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV.

RESULTS: A significantly higher number of solvent-exposed subjects (71%) met criteria for current DSM-IV axis I disorder in comparison with control subjects (10%). The most prevalent diagnosis in exposed subjects was within the anxiety and mood clusters, with a high percentage (36%) of exposed subjects meeting criteria for a dual diagnosis of mood and anxiety disorder. There were no differences between the groups in past psychiatric disorders or current or past substance abuse or dependence.

CONCLUSIONS: The rates of past psychiatric disorders among solvent-exposed subjects are similar to those among normal control subjects, but the prevalence of current DSM-IV axis I psychiatric disorders is significantly higher among exposed subjects than among control subjects.

Key Words: organic solvents, • depression • anxiety, • psychiatric diagnoses • DSM-IV.

Abbreviations: DSM-IV = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition; SCID = Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV.

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