Considerable evidence from psychiatric epidemiology studies suggests that patterns of disorder, their sociodemographic correlates, and the respective underlying mechanisms differ between East Asian and Western cultures. However, despite the increasing availability of epidemiologic survey data from multiple countries, few cross-national comparisons of the prevalence and comorbidity of substance use disorders (SUD) and psychiatric disorders have been conducted (Teesson et al., 2006). As a result, little is known about the magnitudes and nature of such differences, especially in the comorbidity patterns of AUD, ND and mood and anxiety disorders.
