A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study to Assess the Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms amongst Alcohol Use Disorders in a Selected Tertiary Health Care Centre

Rajwinder Kaur, Keerthi Krishna

Abstract: Material & Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to assess depression amongst patients admitted with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD’s) in a tertiary health care centre at Panchkula, India from October 2017 to Feb 2018. A total of 100 patients participated in the study. The presence of depression was assessed using Beck’s Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). Background: According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), depression can arise during a battle with alcoholism and this increase in depression can lead to more drinking. Aim: To assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms amongst AUD’s. Results: The study revealed that amongst the subjects, 46 % reported minimal depression, 23 % mild depression, 23 % moderate depression and 8 % reported with severe depressive symptoms. Conclusion: This study revealed that there are co-existing depressive symptoms amongst AUD’s. A preliminary screening using BDI- II may be made mandatory for all patients with AUD’s to rule out co-existing depression so as to improve the outcome of AUD’s.

Keywords: AUD, Depressive symptoms