Assessing depression in alcoholics with the BDI, SCL-90R, and DIS criteria

Abstract

Depression was assessed in a sample of alcohol-dependent inpatients using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), and the SCL-90R. Initially, comparisons were made regarding the prevalence of depression among the three scales, and then regarding the relationship of each depression scale to symptoms of alcohol dependence and amount of drinking. Subjects were 59 inpatients enrolled in an alcohol-dependence treatment program at a university-affiliated health center. The prevalence of depression in the sample ranged from 20% with the DIS criteria to 42% with the SCL-90R. The relationship of depression to measures of alcohol dependence varied, depending upon the scale. Symptoms of alcohol dependence did not differ between depressed and nondepressed subjects using the DIS current or lifetime diagnosis, but symptoms of alcohol dependence were greater among those subjects considered depressed according to the other scales. Possible reasons for such differences are discussed, as are both clinical and research considerations.