ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE CRITERIA IN DSM-III-R - PRESENCE OF SYMPTOMS ACCORDING TO DEGREE OF SEVERITY

According to DSM-III-R a positive diagnosis of alcohol dependence requ ires the presence of at least three of nine symptoms of a core depende nce syndrome. In this study the presence of the nine symptoms accordin g to degree of the severity of dependence is examined in 99 patients ( mild, n = 23; moderate, n = 26; and severe, n = 50). It is shown that although the cut-off point for a positive diagnosis of dependence is t he presence of ''any three'' out of nine DSM-III-R criteria, specific symptoms (''excessive drinking'', ''desire or efforts to control drink ing'', and ''drinking despite major problems'') have a high probabilit y of occurrence across the dependence severity range (mild, moderate o r severe). Conversely, other symptoms appear prominently only in the m ore severe cases (''much time devoted to alcohol'', ''important activi ties given up''. and ''drinking to relieve withdrawal''). The results suggest that in the DSM-III-R criteria for alcohol dependence some sym ptoms are more frequently associated with the diagnosis, while other s ymptoms are associated with severity of the alcohol dependence disorde r.