Alcoholism IV: is There More Than One Type of Alcoholism?

Abstract

In a previous study we presented preliminary evidence indicating that there may be two types of alcoholism in women (Schuckit, Pitts, Reich, King and Winokur, 1969). These types were called primary alcoholism and affective-disorder-alcoholism. The affective-disorder-alcoholic woman showed evidence that she had had a clear-cut affective episode which was either independent of the alcoholic intake or had occurred prior to the time alcohol had become a problem. Suicide attempts were significantly more frequently seen among the affective-disorder-alcoholic women than among the primary alcoholic women. As regards the family history there was significantly more affective disorder in the families of affective-disorder-alcoholic women than in those of the primary alcoholics. It appeared, then, that there were two types of alcoholism among women hospitalized for alcoholic abuse.