- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.1 Delirium, dementia, amnesia, and other cognitive disorders
- 4.2 Substance use disorders
- 4.2.1 Pharmacological and psychological aspects of drugs abuse
- 4.2.2 Alcohol use disorders
- 4.2.2.1 Aetiology of alcohol problems
- 4.2.2.2 Alcohol dependence and alcohol problems
- 4.2.2.3 Alcohol and psychiatric and physical disorders
- 4.2.2.4 Treatment of alcohol dependence
- 4.2.2.5 Services for alcohol use disorders
- 4.2.2.6 Prevention of alcohol-related problems
- 4.2.3 Other substance use disorders
- 4.2.4 Assessing need and organizing services for drug misuse problems
- 4.3 Schizophrenia and acute transient psychotic disorders
- 4.3.6 Aetiology
- 4.3.7 Course and outcome of schizophrenia and their prediction
- 4.3.8 Treatment and management of schizophrenia
- 4.3.9 Schizoaffective and schizotypal disorders
- 4.3.10 Acute and transient psychotic disorders
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Alcohol dependence and alcohol problems
- Chapter:
- Alcohol dependence and alcohol problems
- Author(s):
Jane Marshall
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0057
The problem of excessive alcohol consumption is a major cause of public health concern in most countries of the world today. Heavy consumption, which involves far more than ‘dependence’, can cause untold misery to the individual, who is usually affected by other physical, psychological, and social disabilities as well. As early as 1950, the World Health Organization (WHO) viewed the lack of a commonly accepted terminology as a serious obstacle to international action in the alcohol field. Definitions of ‘alcoholism’ have been proposed by a range of professional and other bodies, from biomedical scientists, medical doctors and psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, patients in treatment, to the general public. Terms such as ‘alcoholism’, ‘addiction’, and ‘chemical dependence’, have passed into everyday speech, becoming ‘popularly enriched’ and ‘technically impoverished’. These terms mean different things to different people and often have pejorative connotations. The lack of a precise definition of ‘drinking problems’ has hampered interdisciplinary communication. In this section, the evolution of the term ‘alcohol dependence’ will be traced and put into context as but one aspect of a wider spectrum of alcohol-related problems. The concept of the alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) will be introduced and its influence on the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Diseases (DSM-IV) will be reviewed. The terms ‘harmful use’ (ICD-10) and ‘alcohol abuse’ (DSM-IV) will also be discussed. Finally ‘alcohol-related problems’ will be considered.
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.1 Delirium, dementia, amnesia, and other cognitive disorders
- 4.2 Substance use disorders
- 4.2.1 Pharmacological and psychological aspects of drugs abuse
- 4.2.2 Alcohol use disorders
- 4.2.2.1 Aetiology of alcohol problems
- 4.2.2.2 Alcohol dependence and alcohol problems
- 4.2.2.3 Alcohol and psychiatric and physical disorders
- 4.2.2.4 Treatment of alcohol dependence
- 4.2.2.5 Services for alcohol use disorders
- 4.2.2.6 Prevention of alcohol-related problems
- 4.2.3 Other substance use disorders
- 4.2.4 Assessing need and organizing services for drug misuse problems
- 4.3 Schizophrenia and acute transient psychotic disorders
- 4.3.6 Aetiology
- 4.3.7 Course and outcome of schizophrenia and their prediction
- 4.3.8 Treatment and management of schizophrenia
- 4.3.9 Schizoaffective and schizotypal disorders
- 4.3.10 Acute and transient psychotic disorders
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry