DEPRESSION AS A SYMPTOM OF ALCOHOLISM - SEARCH FOR A PHENOMENON

REVIEWS LITERATURE RELATIVE TO THE SYMPTOM OF DEPRESSION IN ALCOHOLISM INDICATED THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED. 73 CONSECUTIVELY ADMITTED ALCOHOLICS WERE GIVEN THE ZUNG SCALE, A 20-ITEM SELF-REPORT DEPRESSION SCALE, AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF A 21-DAY TREATMENT PERIOD. A DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA INDICATED THAT 70% OF ALL THE ALCOHOLIC SS EXHIBITED MILD TO DEEP DEPRESSION. AN ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE INDICATTED THAT DEPRESSION AS A SYMPTOM DECREASES OVER TIME AND THE RATE OF DECREASE IS NOT AFFECTED BY THE TYPE OF DRUG REGIMEN EMPLOYED. A FURTHER ANALYSIS OF DEPRESSION BY LEVELS INDICATED THAT AMOUNT OF CHANGE IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE INITIAL LEVEL OF DEPRESSION. FINDINGS WERE DISCUSSED IN REGARDS TO TRADITIONAL TREATMENT AND RESEARCH STRATEGIES. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.