Does depression predict relapse in the 6 months following treatment for men with alcohol dependence?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether depression measured at the time of treatment predicts relapse of alcohol dependence in the 6 months following treatment of alcohol-dependent men. METHOD: Ninety-three subjects with moderate-severe alcohol dependence (DSM-III-R), recruited from a 3-week, abstinence-focused therapeutic program, were assessed for current and lifetime major depression using the SCID-P and baseline depressive symptoms using the SCL-90, and then followed up for 6 months. Drinking outcomes were based on multiple sources of data. RESULTS: Relapse was not associated with either lifetime major depression, or baseline depressive symptoms; inadequate numbers of subjects with a current major depression precluded statistical analysis of this variable. CONCLUSIONS: Neither lifetime major depression, nor the degree of depressive symptoms in alcohol-dependent men at the time of treatment, compromise drinking outcomes in the 6 months following treatment.