Research & Resources

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) can be co-occurring with personality disorders and other serious mental illnesses. To shed light on this issue, researchers synthesized existing scientific research on co-occurring AUD and personality disorders to highlight known facts and identify directions for future research. Their review focused on antisocial personality disorders and borderline personality disorders, both of which are characterized by impulsivity and inability to control emotions. They found that approximately 48 percent of people with these personality disorders also experienced AUD; researchers recommend that future work focus on the development of co-occurrence of mental and substance use disorders to try and create effective treatment or prevention programs that target underlying factors rather than the co-occurring disorders. The article, “Alcohol use disorder and antisocial and borderline personality disorders,” was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. It was published in the journal Alcohol Research: Current Reviews.