Clinical features of depressed patients with or without a family history of alcoholism

Objective: To compare clinical features of depressed subjects without alcoholism but with a family history of alcoholism to a depressed group without alcoholism and without a family history of alcoholism. Method: Clinical and demographic data of 209 depressed subjects without a history of alcoholism in first-degree relatives and 73 depressed individuals with a history of alcoholism in first-degree relatives were compared. Subjects with a personal history of alcoholism were excluded. Results: Depressed subjects with a family history of alcoholism have a significantly higher prevalence of reported childhood physical and sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), make more suicide attempts, and have greater intent to die at the time of their most lethal suicide attempt, compared to depressed subjects without a family history of alcoholism. Conclusion: Depressed patients with a family history of alcoholism are at greater risk for suicidal behavior and PTSD and may require more careful management.