Dear Dr Eskapa,

It has been reported on this forum that people with underlying psychiatric conditions (e.g. depression and anxiety) were excluded from TSM clinical trials. However, in The Cure for Alcoholism (page 96), you make the statement that "One of Sinclair's findings from an analysis of the Finnish alcoholics was that the treatment produced a very large decrease in depression". There is an apparent contradiction here. I can only deduce that people suffering from depression and anxiety were not excluded from all TSM trials - was this the case? As I suffer considerably with anxiety, it is important that I seek clarification on this matter.

I look forward to receiving your valued reply.

Thank you.

V.

P.S. Since writing the above, I have identified the source of the statement concerning people with psychiatric conditions and their exclusion from TSM clinical trials. In The Cure For Alcoholism, it is listed in Appendix A, Note 32, Page 241. This reference states the following:

The exclusion criteria were 1) other current drug abuse or dependence (including marijuana), 2) ever having abused opiates, 3) a current major psychiatric disorder as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV (SCID), 4) a serious or unstable medical condition, 5) current use of psych-otropic or anti-seizure medications or disulfiram, 6) liver function test results (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase) greater than 250 (IU).

So, I guess the crux of this is - are (clinical) depression and anxiety disorders (eg OCD and GAD) considered to be major psychiatric disorders meeting the criteria of DSM IV (SCID)?