title: Obsessive and compulsive characteristics of alcohol abuse and dependence: quantification by a newly developed questionnaire.
abstract: The purpose of the this study was to develop an instrument for measuring the obsessive and compulsive characteristics of drinking-related thought and behavior in subjects who abuse or are dependent on alcohol, and to quantify the extent to which drinking-related thought and behavior in these subjects resemble the obsessions and compulsions seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To achieve these goals, the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) was modified to reflect obsessionality and compulsivity specifically related to heavy drinking rather than to obsessions and compulsions generally. The modified Y-BOCS (Y-BOCS-hd) was administered to 62 subjects satisfying DSM-III-R criteria for alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence and 62 matched normal controls. The data showed that the Y-BOCS-hd is a sensitive and specific instrument for measuring the obsessive and compulsive characteristics of drinking-related thought and behavior in alcohol-abusing and alcohol-dependent populations, and that there are specific and quantifiable similarities between these characteristics and the obsessions and compulsions of OCD. The data also indicated that the Y-BOCS-hd may be a useful screening instrument for the presence of alcohol abuse and dependence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294-0018.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Modell
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mountz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmaltz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cyr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013850:Thinking