Addiction. 2006 Sep;101 Suppl 1:97-103
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Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
AIMS:
This paper provides an overview of several multidimensional empirically derived typologies of alcohol use disorders that have been derived primarily for research purposes in relation to their clinical utility.
METHODS:
Studies using multivariate statistical methods for identifying homogeneous groups of subjects were selected for inclusion. Theoretically based typologies were not included in this review.
RESULTS:
While formal diagnostic criteria typically identify separate categories of alcohol abuse and dependence, several studies using different statistical methods consistently suggest as many as four homogeneous types of alcoholism: a chronic/severe type, a depressed/anxious type, a mildly affected type and an antisocial type.
CONCLUSIONS:
Even though the longitudinal outcomes of few empirically derived subtypes have been examined, alcoholism typologies remain a viable and potentially valuable tool for investigating etiological pathways, the effectiveness of treatments and the long-term course of alcohol use disorders.