Correlates of self-reported and clinically assessed depression in outpatient alcoholics

Used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression (Hamilton, 1960) to assess the levels of depression presented by 76 male and 29 female alcoholics. To estimate overall depression from the self-report and clinical instruments, the Z scores for both measures were summed. Correlations then were calculated between the composite scores and the alcoholics' background characteristics. Self-reported prior suicide attempts, severity of the current drinking problem, and being white were associated positively with depression. A stepwise multiple-regression analysis indicated that the self-reported occurrence of a prior suicide attempt was the only meaningful correlate. A combined cut-off score analysis of the BDI and Hamilton ratings indicated that 33.3% of the sample was moderately to severely depressed. The more depressed alcoholics were also more likely to have described previous suicide attempts.