Digitale interventies voor comorbide depressie en problematisch alcoholgebruik

Digital interventions for co-occurring depression and problematic alcohol use: a (cost-)effective approach? In this article we provide an overview of the developments in the (digital) treatment of co-occurring depression and problematic alcohol use. We also present a summary of the (cost) effectiveness results of a published randomized controlled trial (n = 163) on Beating the Booze (BtB), a digital add-on alcohol self-help intervention to complement regular depression treatment for young adults with co-occurring depression and problematic alcohol use. Results showed that BtB as add-on to depression treatment was more effective in reducing alcohol use after 3- and 6-month follow-up than depression treatment alone (control group). No significant differences were found for treatment response (combined alcohol depression outcome) and depressive symptoms. Preliminary results showed sustained improvements on problematic alcohol use and quality of life after a 12-month follow-up, and potential cost-effectiveness of BtB as adjunct to depression treatment. Therefore, we recommend implementation of BtB as an add-on to depression treatment for young adults with these co-occurring conditions.