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How Common is Depression Among Older
Adults
with
Alcohol Problems?
Older people who
are depressed are three to four times more likely to have alcohol
related problems than are older people who are not depressed. (Devanand,
2002)
Between 15 and
30 percent of persons with major late life depression have alcohol
problems. (Devanand, 2002)
There are two main forms of depression among older adults that are
tied to alcohol dependency:
1) Transient depression - Older adults who have been drinking
heavily may be depressed on short term basis either from being
intoxicated or as they withdraw from the alcohol. This form of
depression will pass as the drinking subsides or as the acute and
post acute phases of alcohol withdrawal occur.
2) Underlying depression - When depression or other symptoms persist
unchanged for weeks or longer after the person has stopped drinking,
then it is considered to be a “co-morbid disorder." (Atkinson, 2002)
http://www.agingincanada.ca/alcohol_and_depression.htm
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