The relationship between self-reported cocaine withdrawal symptoms and history of depression

This study examined the relationship between cocaine withdrawal and lifetim e history of depression (major depression, dysthymia). Participants with a history of regular cocaine use (n=146) were administered the Structured Cli nical Interview for the DSM-TV (SCID) and were asked to recall whether they experienced any of the six DSM-TV cocaine withdrawal symptoms. Results of bivariate analyses demonstrated that those meeting criteria for the cocaine withdrawal syndrome (dysphoria plus two or more other symptoms), in compar ison to those who did not, were significantly (P < .001) more likely to hav e a lifetime history of depression. Lifetime history of depression was also more common in those individuals reporting the withdrawal symptoms of "dys phoria" (P < .001), "insomnia/hypersomnia" (P < .05), "vivid unpleasant dre ams" (P < .01), and "psychomotor agitation/retardation" (P < .01). These re lationships remained significant after controlling for demographics, severi ty of addiction, and the presence of opiate, alcohol and cannabis dependenc e or abuse. The withdrawal symptoms of "fatigue" and "increased appetite" w ere not associated with mood history. Results suggest that lifetime history of depression is strongly related to whether or not a cocaine abuser self- reports withdrawal symptoms. Several competing hypotheses regarding the nat ure of this relationship are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.