Relation of denial of alcohol problems to neurocognitive impairment and depression

Forty-six participants in an alcohol rehabilitation program were assessed to determine whether neuropsychological impairment was associated with a higher level of denial of alcohol-related problems and whether depressive symptoms were associated with a lower level of denial. Denial was measured based on the discrepancy between patients' rating of their alcohol-related problems on a visual analogue scale and a psychiatrist's rating. The neuropsychological functioning of the 15 patients in the group who denied alcohol problems was similar to that of the other patients. A modest inverse correlation was found between the level of depressive symptomatology and the level of denial.