Susan E. Ramsey and Patricia A. Engler
Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Comorbidity of Depression and Alcohol Use Disorders. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2009, 198 pages.

Alcohol consumption may interfere with successful treatment of depression for many patients. Drinking can have a deleterious effect on depression and may hamper depression treatment outcomes even among patients whose alcohol use does not rise to the level of an alcohol use disorder. Despite this, sub-clinical drinking may not be addressed during the course of depression treatment. Routine assessment of alcohol use should be conducted, beyond merely evaluating the presence or absence of alcohol abuse and dependence. Once identified, heavy alcohol use among depressed patients can be effectively addressed by utilizing brief, motivationally-focused interventions.