title: The effect of co-morbid depression and anxiety on the course and outcome of alcohol outpatient treatment: A naturalistic prospective cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies examining the effect of alcohol treatment among patients with alcohol use disorders (AUD) and co-morbid depression and/or anxiety are few and show inconsistent, but mainly negative drinking outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence of anxiety and depression among Danish patients seeking treatment for an AUD, and to investigate the influence of psychiatric co-morbidity on the course and effect of treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A consecutive sample of 363 outpatients with an AUD diagnosis according to the ICD-10 Diagnostic Criteria for Research was assessed by the means of the Addiction Severity Index at treatment start and 276 (76%) followed up after 1 year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  15.7% of the patients suffered from depression and 12.7% from anxiety at baseline. Both patients with or without co-morbidity had improved on drinking outcome measures at follow-up with medium to large effect sizes. No difference was found between patients with and without co-morbidity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to the majority of prior studies, this study provides evidence that depression and anxiety do not have an effect on alcohol treatment. However, because of the naturalistic setting, a number of limitations should be taken into consideration interpreting the results.
authors.affiliation: Angelina Isabella Mellentin, Cand. Psych., Unit of Clinical Alcohol Research, University of Southern Denmark , Odense , Denmark.
authors.forename: Angelina Isabella
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Mellentin
authors.forename: Bent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Elsebeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stenager
authors.forename: Anette Søgaard
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D015995:Prevalence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol treatment; Alcohol use disorder; Anxiety; Co-morbidity; Depression