Persistence of depression in detoxified alcoholics

Although many alcoholics appear depressed upon entry into an alcoholism treatment program, the depressive features tend to disappear in most cases after only a few weeks of sobriety in an appropriate treatment setting. This report is concerned with understanding factors that mediate for persistence of depression in some detoxified alcoholics. Among four relatively independent aspects of alcohol-related behavior measured by the Drinking Behavior Interview, only one factor, that related to disruption in close personal relationships, was found to correlate significantly with level of self-reported depression at the end of a 4-week treatment program. These results and those from a previous study are discussed in terms of the loss of social support.