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Article: Alcohol and related disorders
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Alcohol and related disorders
Definition
Alcoholism is defined as alcohol seeking and consumption behavior that is harmful. Long-term and uncontrollable harmful consumption can cause alcohol-related disorders that include:
antisocial personality disorder
, mood disorders (bipolar and major depression) and anxiety disorders.
Description
Alcoholism is the popular term for the disorder recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as alcohol dependence. The hallmarks of this disorder are
addiction
to alcohol, inability to stop drinking, and repeated interpersonal, school- or work-related problems that can be directly attributed to the use of alcohol. Alcoholism can have ...