A connection between excessive alcohol consumption and depression has long been acknowledged, but there appears to be a new twist.

While it had been readily accepted that people who are depressed turn to alcohol to self-medicate or “drown their sorrows”, the results of a recently completed study suggest that the tables may be turned and that alcohol abuse may actually lead to an increased risk for clinical or major depression.

The report, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, further suggests that the use of alcohol acts to trigger genetic markers that increase the risk of major depression among those who have developed a dependence on alcohol.

The researchers acknowledge that an increased incidence of depression may also be due to stressful life circumstances such as social, financial and legal issues that often result from alcohol problems.

The study was conducted in New Zealand over a 25-year period and involved more than 1,000 people who were first interviewed as youth and then followed for more than two decades.

Although some may argue that the findings about alcohol being a cause of depression are inconclusive, it is clear that there is a certain connection between the two.