The effect is greatest in alcoholics who relapse after frequent attempts to "dry out", according to the study, conducted at the University of Sussex. Researchers Dr Theodora Duka and Julia Townshend say the findings have important implications for the treatment of alcoholics. "If rehabilitation fails, we are left with alcoholics who are misinterpreting or exaggerating the emotions of those around them. This can lead to more conflict in their environment and more mental health problems," says Dr Duka. The researchers tested the responses of 15 alcoholic inpatients at a London clinic to photographs of different emotional expressions. At least two weeks had passed since the participants' admission to the clinic and they had all been medically supported with standard detoxification treatments. At the time of the experiment they had abstained from alcohol and had been free from all medication for at least a week. A control group of social drinkers were tested for comparison purposes. Researchers found that heavy drinkers who had previously tried to kick the bottle were more likely than either non-alcoholics or alcoholics who had not previously experienced withdrawal symptoms to read fear and sadness in all emotional expressions. The research also showed that difficulties reading emotions extended beyond those alcoholics who had relapsed. Alcoholics in general were more likely to confuse the facial expressions of anger and disgust, researchers found. This confusion, however, is not related to the frequency of alcohol withdrawal but is likely to be a symptom of long-term abuse, they say. Previous experiments in animals have shown that the repeated effects of alcohol withdrawal impair the functions of an area of the brain called the amygdala, which encodes the emotions fear and sadness, researchers say. For alcoholics with a history of detoxification, damage to the amygdala would result in them no longer being able to accurately interpret particular emotions, explain the team.
To see more focused health-related content, go to http://www.health-news.co.uk
(c) Health Media Ltd 2002