Huertas, D; Bautista, S; Sanjoaquin, AC; Chamorro, L; Gilaberte, I

Hosp Univ Guadalajara, Serv Psiquiatria, Guadalajara 19002, Spain; Hosp Univ Guadalajara, Secc Geriatria, Guadalajara 19002, Spain; Univ Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Eli Lilly, Dept Clin Invest, Madrid, Spain

Introduction. Several investigations have communicated frequent association between alcohol dependence and depression. Method. 21 subjects with DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence were included in an open label trial for alcohol withdrawal. At inclusion and along the follow-up none of the probands met DSM-IV criteria for mood disorder Follow-up included a 15-day detoxification period and 195 days of withdrawal program, including treatment with 20 mg/d of fluoxetine. Ocurrence of depressive semiology was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) on day 15 (after detoxification), day 75 and day 210 (afterwithdrawal from ethanol of 195 days). Results. 67% of the sample showed a positive basal BDI (after-detoxification-BDI> 9). Global retention rate after 210 days of follow-up was 57%. All patients who dropped out the investigation before completing the protocol showed a basal BDI in the depressive rank (BDI = 10-63), and maintained depressive scores in this instrument until their abandonment. Conclusions. Prevalence of "subsyndromal depressive semiology" in this population appears to be high. This clinical feature is frequently ignored because most of the patients do not meet standardized diagnostic criteria for mood disorders Post-detoxification BDI could De used as a predictive factor of therapeutic result in long-term alcohol withdrawal programs. ln addition, in our study fluoxetine showed efficacy in maintaining long-term alcohol abstinence.