June Russell's Health Facts

Alcohol - Anxiety, Depression, and Suicide

[Anxiety]   [Depression]   [Suicide]  

Anxiety

More people suffer from anxiety than any other health problem, yet less than 25% receive adequate help. A natural self-healing program is an alternative to suffering in silence, or taking synthetic, often addictive, tranquilizers and sleeping pills. Sedatives of any kind should never be combined with alcohol. The interaction of alcohol with benzodiazepines can depress both breathing an blood pressure, possibly causing coma or death.
{“Healing Anxiety with Herbs,” 1998 book by Harold Bloomfield, MD, and Yale-trained psychiatrist}

Sixty-five million Americans are living with high anxiety, thirty million with clinical anxiety disorders and another thirty-five million who suffer mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety may be an important sign that it’s time to make a change in how you live such as dietary changes, exercise and meditation. Try herbs for peace of mind and start a program that will deal with the issues that underlie the anxiety, says Harold Bloomfield, MD, Yale trained psychiatrist, and author of, “Healing Anxiety with Herbs.”
{“High Anxiety, Natural Health magazine, Nov./Dec. 1998}

A person experiences relief from panic after drinking alcohol, then finds that as it wears off, his anxiety returns more intensely than before, creating a treacherous and hard-to-break cycle.
{in the book, “No More Fears,” Douglas Hunt, MD, 1988 and Robert Thayer, PhD, author of “The Origin of Everyday Moods.” 1997}

Alcohol depresses the central nervous system causing fatigue, agitation and anxiety.
{“Anxiety and Stress,” Dr. Susan Lark, Energy Times magazine, Nov./Dec. 1998}

Drinking alcohol produces physiological stress, that is, some of the body’s responses to alcohol are similar to other stressors. Yet, individuals also drink to relieve stress. It is a paradox that people engage in an activity that produces effects similar to those that they are trying to relieve.
{“Drinking and Stress,” Alcohol Alert, NIAAA, April 1996}

There is danger when relying on false coping mechanisms, like alcohol use, which only adds to one’s stress burden.
{in the book, “Stress and Healing,” by Christopher Hobbs. 1997}

Those sensitive to anxiety are more likely to turn to alcohol to relieve their anxiety symptoms. They are in a high risk group.
{"Anxiety Sensitivity," alcoholism.about.com, Oct. 2001}

As you drink, your body tries to make up for the changes alcohol causes. It “turns up” all of its senses. When the alcohol begins to wear off, these heightened senses cause shakiness, headaches and nausea. Everything seems louder, bigger, and faster.
{familydoctor.org, May 2003)

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in America: more than 19 million are affected by these debilitating illnesses each year. In 1990, anxiety disorders cost the U.S. $46.6 billion in direct and indirect costs, nearly one-third of the nation’s total mental health bill of $148 billion.
{National Institutes of Mental Health, on mercola.com, Aug. 2004}

--- Alcohol and Caffeine ---

Both alcohol and caffeine can make you tense and trembling, and the more caffeine you add to the alcohol, the worse the situation gets. Caffeine does help your brain be more alert, but in your arms and legs, where the messages and instructions are carried in and out, both alcohol and caffeine can cause the messages and actions to be slow or inaccurate.
{Health magazine, Sep. 1984}

You can make traveling more pleasant by staying healthy, avoiding jet lag and curbing fear. Skip the pre-flight cocktail as sugar and alcohol may lead to a spike of fear-increasing adrenaline. The caffeine in colas, coffee and tea can also entangle you in anxiety, so stick to water.
{“Healthy Holiday Air Travel,” Energy Times, Nov./Dec. 1998. Taken from “The Backseat Flyer,” by Nina Anderson}

--- Panic Attacks ---

Alcohol has been documented to trigger either panic attacks or acute anxiety in susceptible individuals.
{Joshua J. Leichtberg, MD, “Doctor’s Dialogue - Can Diet and Nutrition Affect the Mind?” - April 1995, Let’s Live magazine}

Up to five percent of the general population have panic disorder and about one-fourth of the population experiences panic attacks from time to time. If you have the double disease of panic disorder and coronary disease, then it’s a cause for concern because panic attacks may also restrict blood flow to the heart, resulting in chest pain in patients who have heart disease, says Dr. Richard Fleet of the Montreal Heart Institute. When artificially inducing panic attacks, 80% of the patients with panic disorder experienced reduced flow to the heart upon the onset of the panic attack, while 40% of those without the disorder experienced such an effect.
{“Panic attacks endanger heart health,” HealthCentral, March 2001}  Editor's comment: Alcohol increases the incidence of panic attacks.

Depression

--- Occurrence and Statistics ---

In the past 15 years, the number of people seeking treatment for depression in the U.S. has doubled; now 25 million a year. That’s bad news, but what is worse is that according to recent research, 90% of these people left their doctor’s offices with a prescription for antidepressants. It is downright frightening that prescription drugs have become the treatment of choice.
{“Hard to Swallow,” WC Douglass e-mail, Mar. 28, 2003}

Americans, 65 and older account for about 13 percent of the population but almost 20 percent of all suicides. The national rate is 11 suicides for every 100,000 people. This is higher than any other age group, and the attempts are strikingly lethal: one out of four succeed compared to one out of 200 for young adults. The graying baby boomers are already more prone to suicide than other generations.
{"Factors behind elderly suicide rate examined," Washington, The Daily Progress newspaper, Charlottesville, Virginia, July 23, 2002}   Editor's comment: the use of alcohol contributes to depression and makes it more likely that a person will commit suicide.

Depression affects 17 million Americans a year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
{Washington Post Health, Oct 7, 1997}

One in four women will have a severe or major depression in their lifetime. For men it is one in eight. People who have depression shouldn't drink alcohol.
{in the book, “Depression,” by Sherry Rogers, MD}

In any one given year period, 9.1% of the population, or about 19 million American adults, suffer from a depressive illness.
{“Depression: An Overview,” mhsource.com, Nov. 2003}

Thirty-five million Americans each year suffer winter gloom blues according to JAMA.
{Energy Times, Jan. 1998} Alcohol makes this worse.

One in five Americans are depressed or unhappy, and report high levels of stress, anxiety and sadness.
{Reuters Health, HealthCentral.com, Nov. 2000} Editor's comment: Alcohol, as well as sugar is implicated in depression, and when eliminated depression may subside.

--- Physiological Effects of Alcohol - Role in Depression ---

Alcohol has been found to lower serotonin and norepinephrine levels.
{"Food and Mood," Natural Medicine Chest, Conquer Depression Without Drugs, Let's Live magazine, Jan. 2000}

Alcohol is a depressant. People with depression shouldn't drink alcohol says Sherry Rogers, MD, in her 1997 book on "Depression." She says that studies show that doctors miss diagnosing over 66% of the people who are depressed.

Alcohol temporarily blunts the effects of stress hormones. It typically leaves you feeling worse than ever because it depresses the brain and nervous system. One study looked at people who consumed one drink a day. After three months abstinence, their scores on standard depression inventories improved.
{The Brain, "You Can Control Your Emotional Wellness," USA WEEKEND, Jan. 3, 1999, Jim Thorton, health reporter}

People with manic-depressive disorder should not drink alcohol.
{James F. Balch, MD, newspaper columnist and radio broadcaster, 1990}

Although important for all ages, in older people folic acid deficiency contributes to aging brain processes and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Depression is also common in those with folate deficiency.
{British Medical Journal, 2002} Andrew Weil, in his Self Healing newsletter (Jan. 2000) tells us alcohol use can lower levels of folic acid. See Alcohol - Vitamins and Nutrients.

The acute depressant effect of alcohol increases with BAC, and has been measured in terms of its effects on human performance at BACs as low as 0.03.
{“Alcohol Effects on People,” U.S. Department of Transportation (HHTSA), Alcohol and Highway Safety, 2001, Dec. 2002}.  Author’s comments: The BAC level of 0.03 can be obtained form one or two alcoholic drinks, and if already depressed can increase risk even further.

--- Depression and Alcohol Problems Go Together ---

When alcohol wears off, you will be more depressed than ever.
{Ann Landers' to readers, Dec. 5, 1993, as well as many other medical sources}

Depression and alcohol problems often go together, but the evidence suggests that in men alcohol use preceded the depression, whereas in women the depression precedes the alcohol use.
{American Journal of Epidemiology, "Study Links Depression and Alcohol Problems," Washington Post Health, Dec. 16, 1997}

The use of alcohol not only covers up the symptoms of depression but makes recovery more difficult to treat, says Dr. Dennis Charner, chief of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at NIMH, on PBS radio show People’s Pharmacy, show #450, Nov. 8, 2003.

--- Gene/Environment Interaction ---

Stress, or drugs such as alcohol or cocaine, can activate a gene that is linked to depression and other mental problems. The result can give rise to seizures, depression, manic-depressive episodes and a host of mental problems, says Robert Post, chief of the biological psychiatry branch of the National Institute of Health (NIH).
{Washington Post Health, Aug. 31, 1993}

We find that men suffer depression about equal to women, when the choice of alcohol is removed, as in their culture or religion. This is quite dramatic in showing us how critical our environment is in shaping how our genes are expressed. When under stress, women exhibit more depression and anxiety disorders: men exhibit more alcoholism, antisocial behavior and criminality.
{Public TV special, "The Secret of Life," with David Suzuki, Nov. 1993}

Suicide

--- Occurrence and Statistics ---

In the U.S. there is a suicide every 17 minutes.
{“America Under Cover Documentary,” HBO documentary. In TV booklet, Feb. 2001}

In the U.S. there are over 30,000 deaths from suicide annually.
(Medline 2000) Risk factors for suicide include depression, loss of job, living alone, poor social support, illness and alcohol use.
{alcoholmd.com, Oct. 2001}

About twice as many women attempt suicide, but men are four times as likely to die from the attempt than the women. In 1998, suicide took the lives of over 30,000 Americans, and is the eighth leading cause of death. It was the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 24.
{"Women Attempt Suicide More Than Men," womensissues.about.com, Jan. 2002}

Most Americans are unaware of the high rate of suicide among senior citizens, and researchers at the University of Iowa College of Medicine have issued a wake-up call for the elderly, their families, caregivers, and physicians. Although older Americans make up about 13 percent of the population, they account for nearly 20 percent of all suicides. An estimated five million of the 32 million people 65 and older suffer from depression. They are a more determined group to act and they use more lethal methods.
{"High National Rate of Senior Suicide Gaining Notice," Health World Online - http://healthy.net, July 2002}   Editor's comment: Alcohol causes depression and/or makes depression worse, and makes it more likely that a person would commit suicide.

--- Role of Alcohol in Suicide ---

Every year in the U.S. there are over 30,000 deaths from suicide. The use of alcohol may increase the risk of suicide by deepening depression, negatively affecting the ability to make decisions under stress, and interfering with the treatment of mental illness. ‘Don't drink and drive’ is not enough. Far better is ‘don't drink.’
{Dr. David Hemenway, MD, researcher from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. September, 1999 issue of the American Journal of Public Health}

If you're depressed, don't drink. Even non-problem drinkers had an elevated risk of suicide in a Harvard Medical School study published in the Journal of Epidemiology. The study also found that the odds of attempting suicide are almost two times greater if you drink than if you are a teetotaler, even if you don't drink to excess. Alcohol relaxes inhibitions and makes it easier for thoughts to become actions. Alcohol is a depressant. Even relatively casual drinking or drug-taking is dangerous for people who are thinking of killing themselves. The problem is that people who are depressed or suicidal are often among those most likely to turn to alcohol or drugs, says Ronald C. Kessler, co-author of the study.
{"Alcohol fuels suicidal tendencies," WOR Health Center, Oct. 2002}

--- Relationship of Dietary Fats in Suicide Rates ---

A study of suicide rates in Europe found that countries with the highest per capita fat intakes also had the highest suicide rates. The majority of research, however, shows that essential fatty acids help to alleviate depression and boost moods.
{Natural Medicine Chest, Conquer Depression without Drugs, "Food and Mood," Let's Live magazine, Jan. 2000} Editor's comment: Essential fatty acids are a different class of fats and they are the ones that help restore balance in the body.