Is alcohol use associated with psychological treatment attendance and clinical outcomes?

CONCLUSION: Alcohol users are just as likely to engage in and benefit from evidence-based psychological treatments for depression in primary care. A nonlinear association between alcohol use and anxiety treatment outcomes indicates that light-to-moderate drinkers have some shared characteristic that favours treatment response.PRACTITIONER POINTS: Depression and anxiety problems often co-occur with alcohol use and dependence. Conventional wisdom in the field suggests that heavy alcohol users may not engage well or benefit from psychological therapies for depression and anxiety. We found no empirical support for the above assumptions in a large clinical sample. Alcohol consumption was not significantly associated with treatment attendance or depression treatment outcomes. A nonlinear association between alcohol use and anxiety outcomes suggests that moderate drinkers may have some shared characteristic that favours treatment response.PMID:34709665 | DOI:10.1111/bjc.12343

Source: The British Journal of Clinical Psychology - October 28, 2021 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Vanessa J Hunt Jaime Delgadillo Source Type: research