title: Lifetime and 6-month prevalence of abuse and dependence of alcohol in the Munich Follow-up Study.
abstract: This paper reports lifetime and 6-month prevalence rates of alcohol abuse and dependence in West Germany. Assessment instruments are a modified German version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), a fully standardized interview for the assessment of selected DSM-III diagnoses and the Munich Alcoholism Test (MALT). According to the DIS/DSM-III criteria, 13.0% of the adult general population (aged 25-64 years) were found to fulfill the lifetime criteria for alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, or both; however, only 1.3% of all men and 0.9% of the women interviewed received a current DSM-III diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence. There was good consensus between current DSM-III diagnoses with current clinical ICD-diagnoses, but poor concordance with lifetime diagnoses. Symptoms of alcoholism, onset and severity, comorbidity with other DIS/DSM-III disorders as well as some selected risk factors are reported. The results are primarily compared with the results of the US-Epidemiological Catchment Area Program (ECA).
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Institute, Munich, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bronisch
authors.forename: H U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Wittchen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors