Citation

Cook BL, Winokur G, Garvey MJ, Beach V. Br. J. Psychiatry 1991; 158: 72-75.

Affiliation

University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2015453

Abstract

A prospective study of male in-patients over 55 years old who met Feighner criteria for non-bipolar depression was performed to determine if a previous history of alcoholism significantly influenced treatment or response to treatment. Among 58 subjects with complete follow-up information, the 16 who had a history of alcoholism had a presentation at index which differed from that of the non-alcoholics, and on follow-up they clearly had more chronic illness. This elderly sample with alcoholism resembles 'neurotic-reactive' depressives described in younger samples, and supports a past history of alcoholism as being a risk factor for chronicity of depression on follow-up in the elderly population.

Language: en