ALCOHOL AND DEPRESSION

Alcohol problems and depression commonly occur together.

Alcohol can briefly produce a pleasant and relaxed state of the mind. But many people with a drinking problem also suffer from depression.

While some depressed people turn to alcohol to cue their depression many more become depressed by drinking too much.

Up to 40 per cent of people who drink heavily have symptoms that resemble depressive illness.

However, when these same people are not drinking heavily, only 5 per cent of men and 10 per cent of woman have symptoms meeting the diagnostic criteria for depression– not that different from the rates of depression in the general population.

About 5 to 10 per cent of people with a depressive illness also have symptoms of a drinking problem.

What is the connection between alcohol and depression ?

Alcohol affects the chemistry of the brain, increasing the risk of depression.

Hangovers can create a cycle of waking up feeling ill, anxious, jittery and guilty.

Life gets depressing – arguments with family or friends, trouble at work, memory and sexual problems.

People with depression sometimes use alcohol as a form of self-medication, for example either in an attempt to cheer themselves up, or sometimes to help them sleep. Although in small quantities alcohol can briefly lift mood, if used to try to cope with a depressive illness, problems arise. Tolerance to the effects of alcohol can lead to individuals needing it in larger quantities to have an effect.

Alcohol in large quantities, whether taken to treat a depression or not, produces a depressant effect on people’s mood.

Why is a drinking problem together with depression a dangerous combination?

 Alcohol compromises judgement and makes people impulsive and likely to take risks. Alcohol also causes a loss of inhibition and increases aggressive behaviour and violent acts. Because increased alcohol consumption often occurs together with a depressed mood, this is a particular concern.

Depression can lead to thoughts of suicide. The lack of self-control, compromised judgement and impulsivity from the alcohol can increase the chances of a person attempting suicide.

Generally, a much higher incidence of suicide, both completed and attempted, is associated with alcohol.

The common problems of depression and alcohol are frequently complicated by social problems. Alcohol can often lead to problems at work in the form of absenteeism, sickness and under performance. The loss of a job has a profound negative impact on a person’s financial status and family life.

Marital problems often arise because of an alcohol problem, although it may be difficult to say which started first.