OBJECTIVE

Depression, anxiety and alcohol misuse frequently co-occur. While there is an extensive literature reporting on the efficacy of psychological treatments that target depression, anxiety or alcohol misuse separately, less research has examined treatments that address these disorders when they co-occur. We conducted a systematic review to determine whether psychological interventions that target alcohol misuse among people with co-occurring depressive or anxiety disorders are effective.

DATA SOURCES

We systematically searched the PubMed and PsychINFO databases from inception to March 2010. Individual searches in alcohol, depression and anxiety were conducted, and were limited to 'human' published 'randomized controlled trials' or 'sequential allocation' articles written in English.

STUDY SELECTION

We identified randomized controlled trials that compared manual guided psychological interventions for alcohol misuse among individuals with depressive or anxiety disorders. Of 1540 articles identified, eight met inclusion criteria for the review.

DATA EXTRACTION

From each study, we recorded alcohol and mental health outcomes, and other relevant clinical factors including age, gender ratio, follow-up length and drop-out rates. Quality of studies was also assessed.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral interventions were associated with significant reductions in alcohol consumption and depressive and/or anxiety symptoms. Although brief interventions were associated with significant improvements in both mental health and alcohol use variables, longer interventions produced even better outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

There is accumulating evidence for the effectiveness of motivational interviewing and cognitive behavior therapy for people with co-occurring alcohol and depressive or anxiety disorders.