Is there any way for a doctor to determine whether the alcoholism is a by-product of depression or if the depression stems from the alcoholism?

Answer 1

Answer

The question is immaterial. Depression is the result of imbalances in neurotransmitters. Alcohol causes imbalances in neurotransmitters. Therefore, the alcohol has to be removed and the brain allowed to normalize as much as possible before the depression can be accurately diagnosed, let alone treated. Doctors who give psych meds to drinkers without first demanding that they get treatment are performing a disservice to all concerned.

Answer

Start with an assessment by a state certified/licensed substance abuse counselor. A counselor is best able to determine which is the primary problem based on indicators from the psycho-social history in the assessment.

Answer

If there is Alcoholism in the family then the chances the person is an alcoholic is high percentage wise. If there is depression in the family, but no alcoholic problems to your knowledge then it is depression, but as the other posters said it's best to let a doctor determine this.

If you have depression problems and dull the pain with alcohol, it only fuels the fire and one becomes more depressed.

Here is an example: My own father (a loving man) was an alcoholic. In my early 30's he suffered a heart attack so I was working, helping my mother cope with my father, just got married and was drained to exhaustion. Because of it I suffered from panic attacks and had to quit work. This was in the early 70's so most doctors in Canada didn't even know what a panic attack was. It turned into Agoraphobia and I was housebound for 3 years. Doctors knew little about it, so I turned to drinking to dull the pain. It made me feel like I could conquer the world, do anything I wanted, but once the high wore off I was just my old self yet once again and more depressed from the alcohol. Finally, God willing, I found a doctor (through a friend) that helped me. I was put on a good medication for 6 months, weaned off and never looked back. I never drank another drop of alcohol again! No, I don't think I was an alcoholic at all, but since I received no help from doctors, I deadened the pain with alcohol. It wasn't a very fun trip.

It's best to see a doctor to determine your family history, but the person can do much themselves. All of us know deep inside of ourselves if we are hooked on drugs, depressed or alcoholics, etc., so it's a matter of being honest with oneself and getting help.

The Chicken or the Egg

This is called the "Chicken or The Egg" theory of alcoholism. Many alcoholics suffer from depression. Many victims of depression become alcoholic, or make a good imitation of it. The only way to know for sure is to remove the alcohol from the equation. Only then can a doctor or psychologist determine what the real problem is.

Depends on the Person:

I know many recovering alcoholics who had their depression subside when the refrained from drinking and focused on their spiritual life. Many of these people originally though that they drank because they were depressed.

Annotation to this subject if I may:

As a recovering alcoholic of 18yrs and a Nurse for 33yrs. I believe that the depression and alcoholism go hand and hand. I can't say which came first but from my own experience and working with addictive personalities people usually drink or use other substances to numb themselves because they do not want to deal with their life situation. They want to stuff their feelings, not talk about them, or deal with them. I absolutely agree with the writer about the neurotransmitters getting out of whack. The difference between an alcoholic and a social drinker is a social drinker can stop where as an alcoholic can't. You know a person is an alcoholic when it starts to affect every aspect of his or her life. Out a lot after work, money problems, change in behavior. When confronted they can become belligerent, mean, and possibly violent. They withdraw from family and friends, job loss, marriage break-ups. It is a very devastating disease. Unfortunately the percentage of people who can turn it around is very low. There is nothing that will stop a person from continuing to drink himself to death unless he wants to stop.

Thanks for letting me comment. I'm sorry about the bold print but I couldn't get it to go back to normal print.

Blueangels 007