Cited by 490Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesTreatment of Major DepressionMental Health Treatment and Access

The prevalence and impact of alcohol problems in major depression: A systematic review

Sullivan, Lynn E., Fiellin, David A., O’Connor, Patrick G.·2005·The American Journal of Medicine

Abstract

Major depression and alcohol problems are common in primary care, yet little is known about the prevalence of alcohol problems in patients with depression or alcohol's effect on depression outcomes. We strove to answer the following questions: How common are alcohol problems in patients with depression? Does alcohol affect the course of depression, response to antidepressant therapy, risk of suicide/death, social functioning and health care utilization? In which alcohol categories and treatment settings have patients with depression and alcohol problems been evaluated? English language studies from MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and Cochrane Controlled Trial Registry were reviewed. Studies were selected using predefined criteria if they reported on the prevalence or effects of alcohol problems in depression. Thirty-five studies met criteria and revealed a median prevalence of current or lifetime alcohol problems in depression of 16% (range 5-67%) and 30% (range 10-60%), respectively. This compares with 7% for current and 16-24% for lifetime alcohol problems in the general population. There is evidence that antidepressants improve depression outcomes in persons with alcohol dependence. Alcohol problems are associated with worse outcomes with respect to depression course, suicide/death risk, social functioning, and health care utilization. The majority of the studies, 34 of 35 (97%), evaluated alcohol abuse and dependence, and 25 of 35 (71%) were conducted in psychiatric inpatients. We conclude that alcohol problems are more common in depression than in the general population, are associated with adverse clinical and health care utilization outcomes, and that antidepressants can be effective in the presence of alcohol dependence. In addition, the literature focuses almost exclusively on patients with alcohol abuse or dependence in psychiatric inpatient settings, and excludes patients with less severe alcohol problems and primary care outpatient settings.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.amjmed.2005.01.007

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Authors
Sullivan, L. E., Fiellin, D. A., & O’Connor, P. G.
Affiliations
Yale University (US)
Venue
The American Journal of Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2005-04
Volume
118
Issue
4
Pages
330-341
ISSN
0002-9343 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2015198281
Cited by
489
References
77
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 30 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 23
FWCI
2.01
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • The American Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (K12 DA00167, K12DA000167)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
Keywords
major depressive disorder, alcohol problems, alcoholism, alcohol abuse, prevalence, antidepressant treatment, suicide risk, social functioning, health care utilization, psychiatric inpatients, primary care
MeSH terms
Alcoholism, Antidepressive Agents, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Suicide, Prevalence, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

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