Depression Screening Scores During Residential Drug Treatment and Risk of Drug Use After Discharge

Depression is a highly prevalent disorder among patients in residential drug treatment, and the pragnosis for recovery from chemical dependency among depressed persons is uncertain. This report presents one-year follow-up data on alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana use among patients who completed the center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) during their inpatient stay in one of 12 residential treatment programs in the Midwest. At 12-month follow-up, CES-D scores in the depressed range were significantly associated with risk of relapse for alcohol and marijuana use, but not for cocaine use.