ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE.   Term Paper ID:18761 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Definition, research, review of literature, risk factors, related disorders, treatment.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Definition, research, review of literature, risk factors, related disorders, treatment. Paper Introduction: Introduction The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the literature on alcohol dependence. The overview begins with a definition of the disorder, and a brief delineation of the historical approach to the condition. This delineation is followed by an examination of salient studies on the prevalence of the condition, risk factors, and treatment. Alcohol Dependence The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, third edition, (DSM III, 1980) characterizes alcohol dependence as: . . . a pattern of pathological alcohol use or impairment in social or occupational functioning due to alcohol, and either tolerance or withdrawal. Alcohol Dependence has also Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The authors stated that the relative odds rationscomputed in the study indicated that the risk of both alcohol abuse andalcohol dependence was associated with a positive family history ofalcoholism. (199 ). Russell, M., Cooper, M.L., & Frone, M.R. Based on these findings, Fink concluded: Results indicate that treatment adherence is influenced by factors affecting the cohesiveness of the treatment delivery system (Fink, 1984, p.7 9). National Institute on Drug AbuseResearch Monograph Series, 81, 4 5-415. Specifically, it was observed that: 1. Alcohol, 3(2), 83-87. Inother words, the pattern is relatively short-term for alcohol abuse andrelatively long-term for alcohol dependence. . Similarly, theNational Institute of Mental Health reported alcohol abuse/alcoholdependence to be one of the seven most frequently found mental disorders inthe country (Eaton, Kramer, Anthony & Dryman, 198 ). . For example, Holzer, Shea, Swanson andLeaf (1986) found that people are more at risk for the development ofalcoholism if they come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. In one prevalence study, Gallant (1985) interviewed 9,543 residentsof five major U.S. Davison and Neale (1982) reported that, historically, alcoholism wasviewed as an "evil" and often attributed to a morally tainted nature. Abnormal Psychology: Anexperimental clinical approach (3rd ed.). Alcohol Dependence The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and StatisticalManual, third edition, (DSM III, 198 ) characterizes alcohol dependence as: . Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 9(3), 297. (1937). (1983). cities. However, in order for thisapproach to be effective, there is a need for alcohol dependent patients toremain in the programs throughout their entirety. Caddy, G., & Gottheil, E. Some of the research has attempted to determine the prevalence ofalcoholism in America. (1986). in the area (p.123) The development of treatment programs for alcohol dependence isongoing. Adherence in a behavioral alcohol treatmentprogram. (1989). Psychiatric diagnosis and substance abuse inthe general population: The ECA data. The strongest associations were with antisocial personality disorder and other substances of abuse (Helzer, 1988, p.4 5).Helzer noted that given the observed associations, the presence ofantisocial personality disorder and/or the tendency to abuse othersubstances may be considered to be factors placing people at risk for thedevelopment of alcoholism. (1986). Basalganglia/limbic striatal and thalamocortical involvement in craving and lossof control in alcoholism. Patients who were detoxified in a preferentially designated unitwere more likely than others to receive some specialized alcohol treatment. Washington, DC:American Psychiatric Association. About 153 patients did complete detoxification as well asthe behavioral treatment program; these patients were classified ascompleters. Diagnostic andstatistical manual of mental disorders. International Journal of the Addictions, 19(7), 7 9-719. Alcoholism: The most common psychiatricillness. Also examined were studies related to thetreatment of alcohol dependence disorder. Introduction The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the literatureon alcohol dependence. . RecentDevelopments in Alcoholism, 1, 195-232. Fink also observed that a number of system variables were related toadherence to the program. . (199 ). Modell, J.G., Mountz, J.M., & Beresforo, T.P. Since many alcoholicsdrop out of these programs before discharge, some researchers haveattempted to examine for differences between alcoholics who remain in theprograms and those that drop out. Completers were more likely to have a DSM-III Axis I diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence compared to noncompleters who more often had an Axis I primary or secondary diagnosis of affective disorder (p.7 9). Summary This study presented an overview of the literature on alcoholdependence. Theincreased risk for specific psychiatric disorders among persons of lowsocioeconomic status. (1982). Feeling guilty and angry about their abnormal dependence, malealcoholics, Knight claimed, repressed these emotional impulses with drink.While there continued, in the 195 s and 196 s, to be some researchattributing alcoholism to either psychodynamic issues or personalitydeficits, Davison and Neale (1982) state that the current etiologicalperspective is more on genetic/biological predispositions and behavioralconditioning processes. (198 ). Journalof Nervous and Mental Disease, 86, 538-548. (1988). This delineation is followed by an examination of salientstudies on the prevalence of the condition, risk factors, and treatment. There were a total of 26 inpatients (Mean age=41.48 years) in the unit. Contributions to behavioraltreatment from studies on programmed access to alcohol. There was a period of four months during the middle phase of theprogram during which most of the patients who were noncompleters left theprogram. Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 14(2),221-226.----------------------- 8 Knight, R.P. a pattern of pathological alcohol use or impairment in social or occupational functioning due to alcohol, and either tolerance or withdrawal. For example, Knight (1937)proposed that male alcoholics experienced an abnormal dependence on theiroverprotective mothers. New York: Wiley. One of the most effective treatment approaches has been thebehavioral approach (Caddy & Gottheil, 1983). Holzer, C.E., Shea, B.M., Swanson, J.W., & Leaf, P.J. The dynamics of chronic alcoholism. Gallant, D.M. Eaton, W.W., Kramer, M., Anthony, J.C., & Dryman, A. Specifically, Fink's study of adherence totreatment was conducted in a university-affiliated hospitals behavioralalcohol treatment unit. Theincidence of specific DIS/DSN-III mental disorders: Data from the NIMHEpidemiologic Catchment Area program. 3. In this regard, Modell, Mountz, and Beresforo (199 ) conductedan extensive review of the literature concluding that current researchsupports the notion that alcoholics suffer from a deficit in neuronalsystems and thalamocortical neuronal circuits. Fink, E.B. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and ClinicalNeurosciences, 2(2), 123-144. Asthe psychological perspective grew more sophisticated, the explanation forthe disorder was cast in psychodynamic terms. He found either alcohol abuse or alcoholdependence in between 11 to 16 percent of the subjects. Alcoholism: Epidemiology, diagnosis, andbiological aspects. Nace, E.P. Patients treated by hospital-employed psychiatrists were morelikely to complete the program than were patients treated by privatepsychiatrists. In this regard, the condition was defined and studies relatedto prevalence of the disorder as well as risk factors associated with thedisorder were discussed. The influence ofsociodemographic characteristics on familial alcohol problems: Data from acommunity sample. 2. (3rd ed.). Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica,79(2), 163-178. Fink noted that during the 14 month period of the study, 1 5 patientsdropped out of the program; these patients were classified asnoncompleters. In an interesting study, Helzer (1988) examined the comorbiditybetween alcohol abuse/alcohol dependence and other psychiatric disorders.He reported: Alcoholism was associated with all of the other major psychiatric disorders, even in a general population sample. Other studies have also examined for factors placing people at riskof developing alcohol dependence. Alcohol Dependence has also been called Alcoholism (p.169).The American Psychiatric Association differentiates Alcohol Dependence fromAlcohol Abuse by noting that abuse tends to be characterized as a patternof pathological use of alcohol (with impairment of social and/oroccupational functioning) that has taken place for at least a month. Davison, G.C., & Neale, J.M. Similarly,Nace (1986) found that a history of alcoholism in a family is alsoassociated with an increased risk for the development of the disorder. (1985). References American Psychiatric Association. Although several clinical variables were examined in the study inorder to see whether they distinguished between completer and noncompleterpatient groups, Fink (1984) noted that: The only clinical variable that demonstrated a difference between groups was DSM-III diagnosis. Special Issue: Psychiatric epidemiology, AmericanJournal of Social Psychiatry, 6(4), 259-271. In a study of risk factors, Russell, Cooper and Frone (199 ) surveyedover 1,6 adults. (1984). Helzer, J.E. Other studies of risk factors have tied development of alcoholdependence to neurologic, neurochemical, and physiological structures andprocesses. As the authors put it: Alcoholics craving may result from a neurophysiologically driven obsession resulting from overactivity within the fronto-thalamic neuronal loop, and loss of control of alcohol consumption resulting from further impairment . Regarding these prevalence studies, it can be notedthat while about 7 percent of the people in the United States drinkalcohol, most are not alcohol dependent nor are they alcohol abusers(Gallant, 1985). The overview begins with a definition of thedisorder, and a brief delineation of the historical approach to thecondition. One study examining for differences between alcoholics who remain ina behavioral treatment program and those who withdraw from the program wasconducted by Fink (1984). Also, the authors observed that risk increased with age amongWhites but decreased with age among Blacks. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.