Changes in psychological symptoms during ambulant detoxification.

Reports suggest a high prevalence of psychological symptoms in alcohol-dependent patients, but there are difficulties in evaluating their significance. To elucidate these relationships, the effect of withdrawal from alcohol on psychological symptoms in men and women detoxifying on an ambulant basis was examined. A prospective study of 65 patients was carried out using a standardized interview which included sociodemographic indices, measures of alcohol dependence and problems. Psychological symptoms were measured using the General Health Questionnaire at three different time points. The majority of alcohol-dependent patients presented for treatment with co-existing psychological symptoms, but, for both men and women, these decreased rapidly after a 10-day detoxification period. For patients who remained abstinent over the next 6 weeks there was a further decline in psychological symptoms to almost asymptomatic levels. For those who resumed drinking, no such improvement was apparent. The clinical implication is that treatment for what may at first appear to be an independent co-morbid disorder may not be necessary once the patient has been withdrawn from alcohol and has achieved a period of abstinence.