The Symptom Inventory that I reviewed was the Alcohol Dependent Scale (ADS). The ADS was developed by Harvey Skinner and John Horn in 1984. The ADS consists of a 25-item alcohol use questionnaire. The items are multiple choice, easy to read, have from two to four alternatives, and come in a booklet with clear instructions. Test administration is approximately 10 minutes and the ADS can be given to both groups and individuals either as a questionnaire or oral interview. (Piazza pg. 4)
The ADS was derived from the larger more expansive Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI). According to Piazza, “the alcohol use inventory is based on a ‘multidimensional’ conceptualization of alcoholism that includes many different types of styles of alcoholic drinking behaviors. One such type of alcoholic use identified in the AUI was the ADS, which is characterized by impaired control over alcohol consumption, increased tolerance for the effects of alcohol, presence of withdrawal symptoms when alcohol consumption is discontinued, compulsion to drink excessively, and alcohol-seeking behaviors. The ADS was developed to provide a brief, yet ‘psychometrically sound measure of this syndrome.’” (pg. 4) The intent of the ADS is to not only identify the presence of alcohol dependence but also to provide a brief measure of the extent to which the use of alcohol has progressed from psychological involvement to impaired control. (Piazza, pg. 4-5)
Scoring is based on four separate scales: Loss of behavior control, psychophysical withdrawal symptoms, psychoperceptual withdrawal symptoms, and obsessive-compulsive drinking style. The ADS comes with a user guide which contains all of the necessary information to score and interpret t...
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...ifaceted assessment of alcoholism.
References
Deysach, R. E., (1984). Alcohol dependence scale. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.nu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=119&sid=5826130f-5097-489c-a329 00470fec2b5e%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=loh&AN=10120095
Piazza, N. J., (1984). Alcohol dependence scale. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.nu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=119&sid=5826130f-5097-489c-a329-00470fec2b5e%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=loh&AN=10120095
Skinner, H. A., Allen, B. A., (1982). Alcohol dependence syndrome: measurement and validation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91 (3), 199-209.
Wechsler adult intelligence scale-fourth edition. (2010). The eighteenth mental measurements
yearbook. Retrieved from EBSCO Mental Measurements Yearbook database.
Most alcoholics proceed to a stage where their brains or their bodies have been so harmed by alcohol that the effects persist even when they are not drinking. This stage may be reached...
Today, one out of every thirteen adults abuse alcohol or are alcoholics. That means nearly thirteen million Americans have a drinking problem. (www.niaaa.nih.gov) This topic offers a broad range of ideas to be researched within the psychological field. For this particular project, the topic of alcoholism and the psychological effects on people best fit the criteria. Alcoholism is defined as a disorder characterized by the excessive consumption of and dependence on alcoholic beverages, leading to physical and psychological harm and impaired social and vocational functioning. (www.dictionary.com) Through this project, the most important information regarding personal experiences dealing with alcoholism will be revealed. Not only are statistics, like the facts mentioned before, important when dealing with an issue such as alcoholism, but personal accounts and information are often more powerful and influential evidence. Non-alcoholics should be allowed to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for research purposes.
A psychological assessment is defined as “the gathering and integration of psychology-related data for the purpose of making a psychological evaluation that is accomplished through the use of tools such as tests, interviews, case studies, behavioral observation, and specially designed apparatuses and measurement procedures” (Cohen, Swerdlik, &Sturman, 2013). Although examiners strive toward the assessment being good enough to be useful, they sometimes have to make decisions about what type of error is acceptable. There are many psychological assessments that have been used in the study of addictions, but we will take a look at the Addiction Severity Index.
Generally speaking, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) references substance dependence (in this case, alcohol) as a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms that shows that the person is continuing use of the substance even with adverse effects on the individual’s life. Specifically, for a person to be diagnosed with substance dependence they must show at least three of the following symptoms; tolerance, withdrawal, substance being taken in larger amounts of over a longer period of time than intended, an unsuccessful desire or effort to control the use of the substance, there is a great deal of time devoted to the drug, important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced due to the substance, and the individual continues use of the substance even with the knowledge that the substance is causing physical or psychological problems (APA, 2000).
Wilkes, E, Gray, D, Saggesr, S, Casey, W & Stearne, A 2010, ‘Substance Misuse and Mental Health
Lily, Henrietta M. and Harmon, Daniel E. Alcohol Abuse and Binge Drinking. New York: the Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2012. Print.
Our main assessment tool is the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) it is a widely used structured interview that is designed to provide important information about what might contribute to a client’s alcohol or drug problem. The instrument assess seven dimensions that typically are of concern in addiction: (1) medical status, (2) education/employment status/support status, (3) drug/alcohol use, (4) legal status, (5) family history, (6) family/social relationships, and (7) psychiatric status. The ASI was the first standardized assessment tool of its kind to measure the multiple dimensions of substance abuse. The ASI is conducted in an interview format by clinicians worldwide. It has been used as an assessment tool by state agencies and treatment providers and has been translated into 18 languages (McLellan, Luborsky & Woody,
The Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI) is comprised of twenty-four sets of scales and two-hundred and twenty-eight questions to calculate involvement and use of alcohol. The AUI was founded on the premise of how each individual views alcohol and their beliefs about the benefits versus the negative consequences of drinking and was developed for use with individuals admitted into a treatment program (Horn, Wanberg, & Foster, 2016). It is believed that alcoholism is a created from many different factors. The goal of the AUI is to provide counselors with a pattern pf drinking or an answer to whether the client is an alcoholic or has a problem with alcohol to accurately create a treatment plan (OJJDP, 2016) According to the Office of Juvenile Justice
Another study was done on ten primary care looking at the sensitivity and specificity of the CAGE questionnaire in regards to alcohol abuse and dependence. The results yield a sensitivity of 0.87 in inpatients and in primary care patients a 0.71 sensitivity (Pilowsky & Wu,
There are four stages of addiction to alcohol use. The first stage is the pre-alcoholic stage. This stage is characterized by a person’s ability to drink alcohol for leisure without getting drunk. An example is drinking in a friend’s party or work end year party. The second stage is prodromal stage and involves blackout and memory loss after drinking and rising urge for alcohol but a person struggles to hide. For example, sneaking and having a few everyday drinks after work. Next is the crucial stage where one becomes predominantly occupied by alcohol. For example, an individual values alcohol more than his friends or job and have to drink at any time of the day. The final stage is the chronic stage characterized by constantly drunk and shows
Test (MAST) measures are screening and diagnostic measure which separates the two group’s alcohol and drug use assessment measures. Which may or may not pertain to one’s lifetime experiences sometimes relevant to being diagnosed or receiving treatment. Mast a broad assessment tool for alcohol abuse is a questionnaire designed to provide a rapid and effective screening for lifetime alcohol related problem and alcoholism for various population. Seller, M.L. (1971) mast must be parsed with other instruments such as DAST that also scene for drug disorders. The MAST is simple to administer; clients are instructed to answer all questions either yes or no. After clients complete the test, the points assigned to each question are totaled. The MAST
Wechsler, H., Nelson T., & Weitzman, E. (February 2000). From Knowledge to Action. Change [On-line], Available: www2.gasou.edu/library/ (Galileo)(EBSCOhost)(Search=Alcohol Abuse).
Some people only drink on the weekend, or just not at work. Some people attempt to hide their alcohol abuse while others demand company, or anything in between these various elements. Alcohol abuse or addiction is defined as an individual who a) needs to use alcohol every day to function, b) makes attempts to limit use to specific time with periods of sobriety between incidents of heavy drinking, c) have “binges” of continuous use for long periods of time interspersed with the aforementioned periods of abstinence, d) use in excess of the medical and social norms (Doweiko, 2015). To be diagnosed with an AUD requires the individual to meet 2 of eleven criteria laid out by the DSM-5 within a year, then severity is assessed on the basis of how many criteria are met (NIMH, n.d.). Severity is assessed as mild meeting 2-3 criteria, moderate meeting 4 to 5, and severe meaning meeting 6 or more criteria. These eleven criteria include factors such as having drank longer than intended, reduced interest in activities, increased risk behavior, and other factors that look at how drinking has affected you socially (NIAA,
Jellinek, E. M. (1960.) The Disease Concept of Alcoholism. New Haven, Conn.: College and University Press.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Office of Applied Studies). Treatment Episode Data Set(TEDS): Highlights-2003. National Admissions to Substance Abuse Treatment Services, Rockville, MD: Department of Health and Human Services, 2003.