Citation

Mojtabai R, Singh P. Am. J. Addict. 2007; 16(4): 300-309.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1080/10550490701389815

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article explores the nosological and clinical implications of co-occurring alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence and examines the hierarchical relationship between these diagnostic categories in the DSM-IV. Among 2,307 alcohol-dependent participants in the 2003 US National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 1,646 (68.1%) additionally met the criteria for alcohol abuse. In multivariate analyses, alcohol-dependent participants with alcohol abuse reported an earlier age of first alcoholic drink compared to those without alcohol abuse. They also reported a higher prevalence of health problems, non-alcohol drug use, impairment, treatment seeking, and early remission. The two groups had different symptom profiles. Revisions to future DSM editions are proposed to better capture these differences.