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The following is a summary of “Alcohol-induced psychosis and delirium tremens: a comparison with alcohol dependence on demographic characteristics, mortality, and morbidity,” published in the March 2025 issue of BMC Psychiatry by Bramness et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study using Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) data to compare demographics, mortality, and comorbidities in patients with alcohol-induced psychosis (AIP) and delirium tremens (DT), and alcohol dependency (AD).  

They used NPR data to create a cohort of patients aged 20–79 diagnosed with AIP, DT, or AD from 2009 to 2015, prioritizing AIP and DT in multiple diagnoses. Comorbidities were obtained from NPR and cause of death from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests with Bonferroni adjustments were used for comparisons, and mortality was analyzed with Cox regression and standardized mortality ratios, adjusting for age and gender. 

The results showed that the cohort included 33,107 AD, 1,784 DT, and 700 patients with AIP. Patients with AIP were the youngest (mean 46.3 years; SD 14.3), while patients with DT, the oldest (56.0; 11.3), had the highest mortality at 8.0% annually and the most comorbidities. AIP had significantly higher schizophrenia spectrum disorder rates than AD and DT, indicating a potential link to psychotic disorders. 

Investigators found that patients with DT had higher morbidity and mortality rates than patients with AIP and AD, while AIP was more linked to schizophrenia spectrum disorders. They observed no increased mortality in AIP compared to AD across various causes. 

Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-025-06753-z