Alcoholism and Depression Often Coexist and Fuel One Another
Examining the differences in cause and treatment for alcohol-induced depression versus depression-induced alcoholism
This article is part of a Wise & Well Special Report: The United States of Depression.
The first time I really became aware of the deep connection between alcoholism and depression was when my father first went into detox back in 2007. I watched him spiral into a person who could barely talk, barely function and clearly couldn’t make healthy decisions for his well-being. I knew he had suffered from depression for a long time, but seeing the seriousness of his alcohol use that seemed to ramp up alongside the depression was truly a scary experience for a daughter.
As a former mental health nurse, I knew that alcoholism and depression were hard to treat alone, never mind together. My education background informed me of that and I certainly saw it in practice, but witnessing it in a family member engendered the most powerless feeling I’ve ever felt.
My father had been on antidepressant medication for a long time, which lessened the symptoms, but only slightly. The medication seemed to work even less the more he drank. And the worse his depression got, the more he drank. The more…
