Experimental Analysis of Drinking Patterns of Alcoholics: Concurrent Psychiatric Observations
H. BRIAN MCNAMEE M.B., M.R.C.P.E., D.P.M.1,
NANCY K. MELLO PH.D.2, , and
JACK H. MENDELSON M.D.3
1 Teaching fellow in psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and a clinical fellow, department of psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass. 02114
2 National Center for Prevention and Control of Alcoholism, National Institute of Mental Health
3 Chief, National Center for Prevention and Control of Alcoholism, National Institute of Mental Health
Psychiatric observations of mood, thought content, and social behavior of 12 volunteer subjects prior to, during, and following an experimental drinking situation were carried out. Contrary to commonly-held impressions concerning alcoholics, most of the subjects experienced an increase rather than a decrease in anxiety and depression; no subject reported subjective craving for alcohol following his first drink; the subjects maintained a high degree of social interaction with other patients and disruptive behavior was rare.
