Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (5)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sher, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sher, L.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Q J Med 2004; 97: 237-240
QJM vol. 97 no. 4 (c) Association of Physicians 2004; all rights reserved.

Commentary

Depression and alcoholism

L. Sher

From the Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, USA

The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below.


   Introduction
 
Drinking alcohol-containing beverages is a common habit in Western countries. In most Western societies, at least 90% of people consume alcohol at some time during their lives, and 30% or more of drinkers develop alcohol-related life problems.1 Severe alcohol-related life impairment, alcohol dependence, is observed at some time during their lives in ~10% of men and 3–5% of women, with an additional 5–10% of each sex developing persistent but less intense problems that are diagnosed as abuse.1


   Alcohol abuse vs. alcohol dependence
 
Individuals with alcohol abuse are not dependent on alcohol, but have repeated legal, interpersonal, social, or occupational impairments related to alcohol consumption.1,2 They frequently use alcohol in physically hazardous situations. If individuals with alcohol abuse continue to drink, they may go on to develop alcohol dependence. Alcohol dependence is characterized by tolerance (a need for markedly increased amounts of alcohol to achieve desired effect and/or . . . [Full Text of this Article]


   Comorbidity between depression and alcoholism
 

   The psychological impact of alcoholism
 

   The physiological impact of alcoholism
 

   Recognition of a history of alcoholism, and clinical implications for practitioners
 

Address correspondence to Dr L. Sher, Division of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, Suite 2917, Box 42, New York, NY 10032, USA. e-mail: ls2003@columbia.edu


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?