Mortality Post Inpatient Alcohol Detoxification:A Descriptive Case Series

Individuals with alcohol dependence often die prematurely [1,2]. Scotland in particular has high rates of alcohol misuse compared to the rest of the UK and Europe [3] and it imposes a substantial burden on Scottish society, costing between £2,475.6 million and £4,635.4 million per year (at 2007/2008 prices) [4]. Scotland’s death rate from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis are around twice as highas those in England and Wales and the alcohol-related death rate for women in Scotland exceeds the comparable rate for men in England [5]. Whilst indicators of alcohol-related harm are reducing in countries within Europe [6], in Scotland, there is little evidence to suggest a change in this trend. Over the five-year period 2005/06 to 2009/10 the rate of alcoholrelated discharges from psychiatric hospitals in Scotland has remained the same [5] and the economic impact of this to psychiatry alone is vast. In Scotland in 2007/2008 the cost of psychiatric bed days wholly attributable to alcohol was estimated at £39.6 million [4].