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Drinking
may trigger genetic marker for depression
(HealthDay News) -- Alcohol abuse may increase the risk
of depression, instead of the other way around, a New
Zealand study suggests.
Previous research has identified a link between alcohol
abuse or dependence and major depression. But it hasn’t
been determined whether one disorder causes the other,
or whether a common genetic or environmental factor
increases the risk for both conditions.
This new study included 1,055 people born in 1977 who
were assessed for alcohol abuse and depression at ages
17 to 18, 20 to 21, and 24 to 25. The number of participants
who met criteria for alcohol problems and major depression
were: 19.4 percent and 18.2 percent, respectively, at
ages 17 to 18; 22.4 percent and 18.2 percent at ages
20 to 21; and 13.6 percent and 13.8 percent at ages
24 to 25.
At all ages, alcohol abuse or dependence was associated
with a 1.9 times increased risk of major depression,
said David M. Ferguson and colleagues at the Christchurch
School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
“This analysis suggested that the best-fitting
model was one in which there was a unidirectional association
from alcohol abuse or dependence to major depression
but no reverse effect from major depression to alcohol
abuse or dependence,” they wrote.
“The underlying mechanisms that give rise to such
an association are unclear; however, it has been proposed
that this link may arise from genetic processes in which
the use of alcohol acts to trigger genetic markers that
increase the risk of major depression. In addition,
further research suggests that alcohol’s depressant
characteristics may lead to periods of depressed affect
among those with alcohol abuse or dependence.”
In addition, alcohol abuse may cause social, financial
and legal problems that cause stress and increase the
risk of depression, said the researchers, who added
that further research is required to fully understand
the connection between alcohol abuse and depression.
The study was published in the March issue of the Archives
of General Psychiatry.
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