Prior studies of the NESARC have examined self-medication using cross-sectional assessments of co-occurring conditions32–34 and found strong associations of using alcohol and drugs to self-medicate mood disorders with comorbid psychopathology. Among participants with a mood disorder, a total of 24.1% of the sample reported using alcohol or drugs to self-medicate their symptoms.32 In addition, self-medication of anxiety symptoms has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of drug use disorders.35 Using data from the National Comorbidity Survey, it was found that between 7.9 and 35.6% of those with anxiety disorders reported self-medication with alcohol or drugs.36 In the current analyses, we hypothesized that self-medication with alcohol for mood symptoms would be associated with an increased incidence or new onset of alcohol dependence over time. In addition, there is no population-based assessment of whether drinking to self-medicate mood symptoms alters the potential for chronicity or persistence of alcohol dependence. Consequently, we also evaluated the hypothesis that self-medication of mood symptoms with alcohol would be associated with persistence of alcohol dependence, once it developed. Because prior findings indicate sex differences
