Study Establishes Link Between Alcohol Abuse and Depression

A 25-year study in New Zealand found that people who abuse alcohol are almost twice as likely to also be depressed.

The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, involved a group of 1,055 children who were monitored and interviewed at various times over 25 years.

The study found that individuals who met the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependency were 1.9 times more likely to also be diagnosed for major depression.

The researchers believe that the link may be due to a genetic process that causes alcohol to trigger genetic markers that increase susceptibility to depression. It is also suspected that the depressive effects of alcohol may be behind the observed relationship.

Click here to read the full article and learn more details about the results of the study. Do you think that alcohol dependence leads to depression? Or do you think that being depressed leads one to drink more? Any thoughts on what could be the reason for the link between alcohol abuse and depression? Let us know by leaving a comment below.