FEMALE ALCOHOLISM - APPROACHES TOWARDS A DIFFERENTIAL-DIAGNOSIS

Several characteristic differences between male and female alcohol dep endence have been noted in the last two decades. But there is no reaso n to look at female alcoholism as a disease entity. Therefore, to impr ove treatment results, therapies must be designed to meet the specific needs of identifiable subgroups. A prerequisite for matching people t o therapies is a reliable differential diagnosis. In a heterogeneous s ample of 118 women treated for alcohol dependence five subgroups could be described according to the results of a cluster analysis based on standardized questionnaires and according to additional data from an i nterview. These were (1) young women with heavy drinking and serious h ealth problems; (2) alcohol consumption to relieve stress, only mild s equelae; (3) continuous consumption in social isolation, many pretreat ments; (4) 'moderate' consumption with physical dependence; (5) social ly motivated consumption, few sequelae, few pretreatments. From this s ubtyping conclusions can be drawn with regard to preventive, counselli ng and treatment measures.