Definition and diagnosis of relapse to drinking

✍ Scribed by Fuller, R K

• Book ID: 102472712
• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 75 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1074-3022
• DOI: 10.1002/lt.500030311

✦ Synopsis

T he issues of definition and diagnosis of relapse to drinking are somewhat intertwined because the methods for diagnosing relapse may differ depending on which definition is used. In the initial part of this report, there is a discussion of the various definitions of relapse used by alcoholism treatment researchers. Next is a discussion of the methods used to measure each definition. In the last section is a recommendation as to which definition would be most appropriate for defining relapse to drinking after liver transplantation. Relapse is a preferable term to recidivism. Recidivism is used in the criminal justice system. Because drinking is not a felony, and because alcoholism and liver disease are medical conditions, relapse is preferable.

Relapse to drinking is not the same as relapse to alcoholism itself. Therefore, the diagnosis of alcoholism is different than the diagnosis of relapse to drinking, which is the topic of this report. The standard diagnostic criteria for alcoholism are delineated in the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). 1 Signs of alcoholism include tolerance; withdrawal; impaired control; neglect of activities; time spent in activities to obtain alcohol, to drink, or to recover from its effects; and continued drinking despite knowledge of physical or psychological problems caused by drinking. Relapse to drinking involves frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption. These parameters of drinking are not specifically part of the diagnostic criteria for alcoholism.