Cocaine dependence with and without comorbid depression: a comparison of patient characteristics

This study compared depressed cocaine dependent patients (CD, N=50) with patients who were cocaine dependent only (CO, N=101) on pre-treatment psychiatric symptomatology, substance use, and psychosocial functioning. Results indicated that the CD group had more overall distress and poorer psychiatric functioning than the CO group. CD individuals scored higher on all subscales of the SCL-90-R, had a higher prevalence of antisocial personality disorder, reported higher craving for cocaine, lower self-efficacy to refrain from drug use, and lower perceived social support. These findings support the need for more intensive treatment approaches for dually-diagnosed patients.