Depressed patients with co-occurring alcohol use disorders: a unique patient population.
OBJECTIVE
Alcohol use and depressive disorders are frequently comorbid. Few studies have assessed the impact of comorbid alcohol use disorders (AUDs) on clinical aspects of major depression. We compared depressed subjects with and without co-occurring AUDs with respect to demographic and clinical parameters.


METHODS
505 individuals participated. 318 subjects had DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) without a history of any alcohol or substance abuse/dependence (MDD only), and 187 individuals had MDD and a history of alcohol abuse/dependence (MDD/AUD). Demographic, clinical, and psychiatric history measures of patients in the 2 groups were examined and compared. The study was conducted from January 1990 to June 2005.


RESULTS
MDD/AUD patients were younger at their first psychiatric hospitalization (p = .014), their first major depressive episode (p = .041), and their first suicide attempt (p = .001). They reported more previous major depressive episodes (p = .001), suicide attempts (p = .001), and recent life events (p = .001); and had higher lifetime aggression (p < .001), impulsivity (p < .001), and hostility (p < .001) scores. MDD/AUD patients were also more likely to report tobacco smoking (p < .001), a lifetime history of abuse (p = .004), and a history of AUD among first-degree relatives (p < .001) compared to MDD only patients. MDD/AUD individuals also had higher childhood (p < .001), adolescent (p < .001), and adult (p < .001) aggression scores and reported more behavioral problems during their childhood compared to their counterparts. Logistic regression analysis demonstrates that the number of previous depressive episodes, lifetime aggression, and smoking drive the difference between the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that comorbid MDD/AUD may result from worse antecedents and lead to early onset, more comorbidity, and a more severe course of illness.
Sher
Leo
L
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA. LS2003@columbia.edu
Stanley
Barbara H
BH
Harkavy-Friedman
Jill M
JM
Carballo
Juan J
JJ
Arendt
Mikkel
M
Brent
David A
DA
Sperling
Dahlia
D
Lizardi
Dana
D
Mann
J John
JJ
Oquendo
Maria A
MA
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003710:Demography; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology