A Study to Assess the Prevalence of Depression among Alcoholics, among Patients, Admitted to Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research, Dimapur, Nagaland

Abstract

Abstract Background: Alcohol abuse is a significant global burden. Many families have been affected, and many are victims of its abuse. The effect ripple down not only in the life of the person abusing alcohol but also to the immediate and extended family members, which can be multiple and detrimental. Depression is one of the effects which can lead to further alcohol abuse. A vicious cycle is observed among the individual abusing alcohol, which in turn affects the other family members of the individual. Depression symptoms are common in alcohol abusing patients of all ages and are much more common than the diagnosable depressive disorder. Aims and Objectives: The current study aims to assess the prevalence of depression among alcoholics, among inpatients and also find the associations between the prevalence of depression and selected socio and clinical demographic variables. Materials and Methods: The method adopted by the study was descriptive study method using the total enumerative sampling technique. The CAGE questionnaire was used to screen out the patients for level of dependence. The tool used is the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-) to assess the prevalence. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the study. Results: The study results revealed that 74.2% of the participants were depressed widely distributed in all the levels with severity assessed by the PHQ9 questionnaire. The study also indicated that a family history of alcohol abuse is significantly associated with the prevalence of depression among alcoholics. The study result strongly indicates that depression is very much prevalent among alcoholics, along with other multiple co morbidities. Conclusion: Patients abusing alcohol needs continuous and regular assessment for early identification and adopts strategies for the management of the same. The management of depressive symptoms through the adoption of various therapies such as psychotherapy, other alternative systems of therapies and recreational therapies are much recommended. The treating health care team should consider strongly the use of pharmacological means, if the patient is found to be having depression, in the course of treatment in the hospital.