|
|
| Anxiety, depression factors in 4 of 5 alcoholism subtypes |
|
|
|
|
Analyses of a national sample of individuals with alcohol dependence
(alcoholism) reveal five distinct subtypes of the disease, according
to a new study by scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"Our findings should help dispel the popular notion of the 'typical
alcoholic,'" notes first author Howard B. Moss, M.D., NIAAA Associate
Director for Clinical and Translational Research. "We find that young
adults comprise the largest group of alcoholics in this country, and
nearly 20 percent of alcoholics are highly functional and
well-educated with good incomes. More than half of the alcoholics in
the United States have no multigenerational family history of the
disease, suggesting that their form of alcoholism was unlikely to
have genetic causes."
"Clinicians have long recognized diverse manifestations of
alcoholism," adds NIAAA Director Ting-Kai Li, M.D, "and researchers
have tried to understand why some alcoholics improve with specific
medications and psychotherapies while others do not. The
classification system described in this study will have broad
application in both clinical and research settings." A report of the
study is now available online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Previous efforts to identify alcoholism subtypes focused primarily on
individuals who were hospitalized or otherwise receiving treatment
for their alcoholism. However, recent reports from NIAAA's National
Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a
nationally representative epidemiological study of alcohol, drug, and
mental disorders in the United States, suggest that only about
one-fourth of individuals with alcoholism have ever received
treatment. Thus, a substantial proportion of people with alcoholism
were not represented in the samples previously used to define
subtypes of this disease.
In the current study, Dr. Moss and colleagues applied advanced
statistical methods to data from the NESARC. Their analyses focused
on the 1,484 NESARC survey respondents who met diagnostic criteria
for alcohol dependence, and included individuals in treatment as well
as those not seeking treatment. The researchers identified unique
subtypes of alcoholism based on respondents' family history of
alcoholism, age of onset of regular drinking and alcohol problems,
symptom patterns of alcohol dependence and abuse, and the presence of
additional substance abuse and mental disorders:
Young Adult subtype: 31.5 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Young adult
drinkers, with relatively low rates of co-occurring substance abuse
and other mental disorders, a low rate of family alcoholism, and who
rarely seek any kind of help for their drinking.
Young Antisocial subtype: 21 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Tend to be
in their mid-twenties, had early onset of regular drinking, and
alcohol problems. More than half come from families with alcoholism,
and about half have a psychiatric diagnosis of Antisocial Personality
Disorder. Many have major depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety
problems. More than 75 percent smoked cigarettes and marijuana, and
many also had cocaine and opiate addictions. More than one-third of
these alcoholics seek help for their drinking.
Functional subtype: 19.5 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Typically
middle-aged, well-educated, with stable jobs and families. About
one-third have a multigenerational family history of alcoholism,
about one-quarter had major depressive illness sometime in their
lives, and nearly 50 percent were smokers.
Intermediate Familial subtype: 19 percent of U.S. alcoholics.
Middle-aged, with about 50 percent from families with
multigenerational alcoholism. Almost half have had clinical
depression, and 20 percent have had bipolar disorder. Most of these
individuals smoked cigarettes, and nearly one in five had problems
with cocaine and marijuana use. Only 25 percent ever sought treatment
for their problem drinking.
Chronic Severe subtype: 9 percent of U.S. alcoholics. Comprised
mostly of middle-aged individuals who had early onset of drinking and
alcohol problems, with high rates of Antisocial Personality Disorder
and criminality. Almost 80 percent come from families with
multigenerational alcoholism. They have the highest rates of other
psychiatric disorders including depression, bipolar disorder, and
anxiety disorders as well as high rates of smoking, and marijuana,
cocaine, and opiate dependence. Two-thirds of these alcoholics seek
help for their drinking problems, making them the most prevalent type
of alcoholic in treatment.
The authors also report that co-occurring psychiatric and other
substance abuse problems are associated with severity of alcoholism
and entering into treatment. Attending Alcoholics Anonymous and other
12-step programs is the most common form of help-seeking for drinking
problems, but help-seeking remains relatively rare.
|
About The Author:
Moss HB, Chen CM, Yi H-Y. Subtypes of alcohol dependence in a nationally representative sample
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2007;doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.05.016
|
|
|
|
|
| No Feedback Yet. |
| Login using the form on the top of the page to post feedback if you have registered with TxDirector. If you have not yet registered, click here. Registration is free. |
|
Related Links
|
|
|
|
| About These Links: The links above are dynamically generated. Some links may be more relevant than others. |
|
 |
|
|
 |
© 2005 TxDirector.com - Maintained by Lanstat Incorporated - Design by Cumuli Design
Page Load Time: 0.16 secs
|
|
Disclaimer: TxDirector.com cannot accept any responsibility for any injury or damage that you may cause to yourself, others, or property when following any advice given on this site. TxDirector.com has no control of how you may use information you get from this site and does not attest to the validity of any information found within. Much of this information comes from third parties (newsletter readers and other contributors). Use advice found in our newsletters and on our site with common sense and at your own risk. If you see something in our newsletters or on our site that you disagree with, please let us know. Our goal is print only valuable information and advice. If you find any information on TxDirector.com or in our newsletters that is either erroneous and/or potentially harmful to others, please Contact Us, immediately.
|
|
|
