Join Together
Stay Informed

Sign up for news & alerts

Already signed up?
Login here

take action
For every $1 states spend dollar sign on substance misuse and addiction, 94 cents go to shovel up the consequences instead of for treatment and prevention. TELL YOUR LEGISLATORS

What Can I Do?



Continuing Education
Free online courses for addiction counselors LEARN ONLINE

Get Help
Need alcohol or drug help for yourself or someone else? GET HELP

 
Alcohol and Obesity Predict Depression Among Women, Researchers Say
September 19, 2009

Share Share Email
Email
Print
Print
SubscribeSubscribe
Research Summary

Women who drink to excess and are overweight are more likely to develop depression, and the three disorders are interrelated in other ways, as well, according to a new study of women ages 24-30.

UPI reported Sept. 11 that researcher Carolyn McCarty of the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Research Institute and colleagues found that "these disorders, though they're different in manifestation and symptoms, appear to be related for some groups of women."

Women who had alcohol-use disorders at age 24, for example, were three times more likely to be obese at age 27, and women who were depressed at age 27 were at higher risk of alcohol disorders at age 30.

The findings were published in the September/October 2009 issue of the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.
This article summarizes an external report or press release on research published in a scientific journal. When available, links to the sources are provided above.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by Nikkole on 21 Sep 09 10:38 AM EDT
Perhaps I am wrong, but it appears there may be a mistake in the article: "women who were depressed at age 27 were at higher risk of depression at age 30." While this makes sense, it does not mention the connection between obesity and depression that the headline and remainder of the story suggest.

Posted by Melba on 21 Sep 09 12:15 PM EDT
I only pray that the findings in the journal were not part of federal government funding. Individuals working in the field of addiction specifically targeted at women's issues know this information without research. My hope is there would be more funding for treatment and less on research that provides information that is a no brainer.

Posted by Diane on 21 Sep 09 12:47 PM EDT
Melba, you miss the point. With the requirement that all tx be research-based, we can no longer rely on common sense or even profession experience to justify our interventions. It MUST be based on research findings, even if the findings are redundant. Once this research has been replicated, it can be put to bed and what we have been doing all along will have been justified and therefore still eligible for government support. These studies become problematic when the results are really "who cares?".

Posted by pixie on 21 Sep 09 02:32 PM EDT
I have to agree that to be fat, drunk and depressed is a rather obvious trifecta. It's still sad and the problem needs to be addressed on some level.

Posted by Editor @Join Together on 21 Sep 09 09:05 PM EDT
Nikkole correctly points out an error in the last sentence of the summary. It should have read, "...at higher risk of alcohol disorders at age 30," and has been corrected. Thanks!

SUBMIT A COMMENT:

Submissions are held for review and approval.
Please read the guidelines before posting.

Name:

Comment:
(limit 250
words)
Enter this word
(help):		 Change

Guidelines for comments