The DSM-IV (published in 1994) likewise had no “alcoholism” diagnosis but instead described two distinct disorders—alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence—with specific criteria for each diagnosis. The DSM-5 combines those two disorders into one alcohol use disorder with sub-classifications of severity. Although there is a lot of overlap between the criteria (list of symptoms) used by the DSM-IV and the DSM-5, there are two significant changes. The DSM-5 eliminates having legal problems as a result of drinking as a criterion for diagnosis but adds craving for alcohol as a criterion.
Mild: 2-3 symptoms presentModerate: 4-5 symptoms presentSevere: 6 or more symptoms present
Symptoms Listed in DSM-5
The DSM-5 lists 11 symptoms that can be used to determine if someone has an alcohol use disorder.
DSM-5 Draws Some Criticism
The criteria of diagnosing alcohol use disorder came under some criticism because, under the DSM-5, any college student who occasionally engaged in binge drinking and admitting to craving a cold beer once in a while could be diagnosed with the disorder and labeled an alcoholic. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Likewise, if tolerance and withdrawal symptoms are the only two necessary factors required for someone to be diagnosed, then “anyone drinking a couple of glasses of wine with dinner each evening will have measurable and noticeable tolerance and withdrawal. It won’t be present to the extent of causing significant dysfunction, but it will be quite evident on exam,” according to Dr. Stuart Gitlow, addiction psychiatrist and past president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. “That person now has a mild alcohol use disorder.”
