title: [Alcohol Dependence Syndrome: diagnostic criteria].
abstract: The Alcohol Dependence Syndrome (ADS) is a serious problem of public health. In spite of being deeply studied and having well-established diagnostic criteria, many times clinicians and even psychiatrists do not notice this disorder. The aim of this paper is to make a brief exposition on how men and society have developed their relationship with alcohol, emphasizing the development of the concept of alcoholism in medicine until the definition of ADS in ICD-10 and DSM-IV. The article explains the different ways of alcohol consume and how it influences different levels of risk and severity of its consequences, that evolves as a continuum. At last, it makes a comparison between ADS and alcohol harmful use, very important in the prevention and treatment of such disorders.
authors.affiliation: Setor de Dependência Química, Santa Casa do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. analice@iis.com.br
authors.forename: Analice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gigliotti
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bessa
mesh_terms: D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D013577:Syndrome