A new study reveals that alcoholics suffering from depression feel the same pleasure by drinking as non-depressive. This contradicts the belief that he decreases with dependence.
- A new study reveals that big drinkers suffering from depression feel the same pleasure when they are drunk as others.
- This contradicts the belief that the pleasure of people draw from alcohol decreases in the event of dependence.
- This work can help rethink therapeutic approaches and the management of alcoholism.
“We have this received idea that people drink excessively when they feel depressed and that it is actually self -medication”, Note Dr Andrea King, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago. But his latest works, published in the review American Journal of Psychiatryshow that it would be false.
People with alcoholism and depression feel as high levels of stimulation and pleasure when they are drunk as non -depressed drinkers. An important point to take into account when taking care of patients depending on alcohol, according to the scientist.
Alcohol: depressive people also feel pleasure by drinking
For this study, the researcher and her team followed 232 people aged 21 to 35 living in the USA. Half of them had disorders linked to alcohol consumption. Participants were also decreed according to whether or not they had suffered from a major depressive disorder during the past year. “People who had suicidal ideas were excluded for security reasons, as well as those who had serious symptoms of alcoholic withdrawal”specify the authors in their press release.
The volunteers answered questions every half hour for three hours, via their smartphone, while they consumed alcohol. They did the same at a time when they did not drink. The data collected show that alcohol consumption decreases negative feelings, although this reduction is low and not specific to mood disorder. In addition, the “Positive effects of alcohol” – As the feeling of pleasure – were much higher in people with depression than in those who did not suffer. Additional and surprising observation for researchers: depressed and alcoholic volunteers had the same level of positive stimulation as those who “only” problems with the drink.
Alcohol treatment: focus more on reward routes
These results question the dominant theory according to which alcohol dependence results from an attempted brain to maintain its stability in the face of excessive consumption, and would lead people to no longer drink for pleasure, but to avoid lack and stress.
“As health professionals, we are told that people with disorder for alcohol use to heal and feel better. But what exactly do they feel? From our study, it seems that ‘They feel high levels of stimulation and pleasant effects, with a slight decrease in negative states “concludes the main author, Pr Andrea King.
For researchers, their work should lead to rethinking therapeutic approaches and the management of alcoholism. According to them, it would be interesting to look at drugs and behavioral approaches focusing more on reward pathways and the pleasure of alcohol and less on stress -related systems.
“Currently, the accent of treatment is often placed on the resolution of stress and symptoms of depression, but that only attacks one side of the medal if we do not also attack increased stimulation, To the taste and desire to consume more alcohol that occurs in depressed and not depressed people with alcoholism “says Dr Andrea King.
