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Alcohol and Mental Health

 

People who are Mentally Healthy:

• Feel good about themselves

• Feel comfortable with other people

• Are able to meet the demands of life

(Extract from Mental Health Ireland Website 2010)

 

There is a close relationship between alcohol problems and mental health. People with mental health problems are at raised risk of alcohol problems and vice versa.

• Mental health problems may be a cause of problem drinking
• Problem drinking may be a cause of mental ill-health problems

 

There may be a factor in common, in the genes or in the early family environment, which later contributes to both a mental health problem and an alcohol problem. Sometimes heavy drinkers start to misuse prescribed drugs, or illegal drugs, causing harm to their mental health.

 

Though some studies suggest that that light to moderate drinking may have some beneficial effects on mental health for some people, the scientific basis for this is weak.

 

Using Alcohol as a Coping Mechanism

Conditions in which people may try to use alcohol to cope, with resulting problems, include:

• Depression – resulting from, for example, bereavement, retirement or arising out of the blue
• Anxiety – social anxiety, claustrophobia, agoraphobia.
• Obsessive-compulsive disorders
• Manic- depressive illness – the elation phase is associated with drinking bouts
• Schizophrenia

 

The risk of alcohol problems is also known to be raised in those with a history of sexual abuse in childhood.

 

Alcohol, Anxiety and Depression

Alcohol is the second most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world, (caffeine come first) and some of the most frequently cited reasons for drinking involve bringing about a change of mood in order to feel better – drinking ‘to relieve stress’, cheer oneself up etc.

 

Equally, drinkers may complain that alcohol makes them feel depressed or has some other adverse effect on their mental state. Stress (a blanket term for a variety of difference stressors) has also been identified as a cause of relapse in alcohol dependence.

Why do People Drink?

A Survey carried out for the Samaritans found that on average around one third of respondents reported using alcohol for ‘stress relief’, with more men than women (35% compared with 28%) reporting doing so. Asked why they drink, people often reply in terms of altering their mental state, particularly in a context of relaxation and sociability.

 

 

There is a range of reasons why alcohol could have both positive and negative effects on mental state. These reasons are not restricted to its pharmacological action but also include the ways in which this interacts with other factors such as the pre-existing mood and personality of the drinker; the drinker’s beliefs and expectations about the effects of alcohol, and the circumstances in which it is consumed.

 

Further differences can arise from the quantities involved and the pattern of consumption. Small quantities have different effects from large ones; binge drinking can have different effects from the same quantity of alcohol consumed over a longer period; alcohol dependence is often characterised by the vicious circle of short-term psychological benefits from drinking, at the expense of long-term deterioration and increasing depression and sense of hopelessness.

 

While studies have found that small quantities of alcohol may reduce feelings of tension or being under pressure, alcohol can also, in some individuals, actually induce rather than reduce the body’s stress response by stimulating the release of certain hormones.

 

Alcohol and The Brain

Studies have found that in all populations, consumption of more than 40g alcohol per day, equal to 2.5 pints of beer, is associated with measurable declines in brain functioning and cognitive efficiency, possibly with tissue damage.

 

Chronic alcohol dependence is associated with extensive brain damage and cognitive deficits leading in extreme cases to alcoholic dementia, a loss of intellectual functioning combined with amnesia. Alcohol-induced brain damage appears to be partially reversible with abstinence.

 

Alcohol and depression

Alcohol consumption may be either a cause or a consequence of depression. In relation to its causal role, some have suggested that alcohol is bi-phasic in its effects, initially producing a sense of euphoria which turns to feelings of depression as the blood alcohol levels falls. Problem drinking and dependence can cause a range of problems such as family conflict and disruption, job loss and financial problems that are likely in themselves to result in increased levels of anxiety and depression. Alcohol dependence is one of the main risk factors for suicide.

 

One Canadian study found binge drinking being associated with raised risk of depression in women.

 

Suicide, Alcohol and Family Dysfunctional Behaviour

Research on the Relationship between Suicide, Alcohol and Family Dysfunctional Behaviour suggests that a powerful graded relationship exists between adverse childhood experiences and risk of attempted suicide throughout the life span.

 

Alcoholism, depressed affect, and illicit drug use are strongly associated with such experiences. Prevention of these experiences and the treatment of persons affected by them may lead to progress in suicide prevention.

 

Source: Dube et al. (2001). Childhood Abuse, Household Dysfunction, and the Risk of Attempted Suicide Throughout the Life Span American Medical AssociationJAMA. 286:3089-3096.