Ty S. Schepis and Uma Rao
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA
Comorbidity of Depression and Alcohol Use Disorders. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2009, 198 pages.

The incidence and prevalence of both depressive and alcohol use disorders increase notably during adolescence, with five-fold or greater increases for the prevalence of each disorder. In addition, it appears that the prevalence of comorbid alcohol use and depressive disorders increases significantly throughout the adolescent period. Despite the high rates of these disorders, limited information is available on the correlates, course and outcomes of comorbid alcohol use and depressive disorders in adolescents. It appears that adolescents with the comorbid condition have worse psychosocial functioning and potentially worse outcomes than those who have only an alcohol use or a depressive disorder. Few treatment options have been systematically explored in adolescents with both alcohol use and depressive disorders, though there is preliminary evidence for the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Given the evidence that adolescents with both alcohol use and depressive disorders have significant impairment in multiple domains that also persists into adult life, further research is needed to establish causes, correlates and efficacious treatments for this high-risk group.