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Compulsive water drinking, water intoxication and alcohol abuse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

John A. Cooney
John A. Cooney*
Affiliation:
Substance abuse and psychiatric rehabilitation services, Alberta Hospital, Ponoka, Canada
*
Dept. of Geriatric Psychiatry, Edmonton General Hospital, Edmonton, CanadaT5K 0L4
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Abstract

Using urine specific gravity testing to estimate fluid intake Compulsive Water Drinking (CWD) was found to occur, without an age or sex bias, in 19.1% of rehabilitation inpatients in a Canadian psychiatric hospital. Chart review indicated that Water Intoxication had not been a major problem for these patients during their hospitalisation. Nursing opinion appeared to be a relatively weak test for CWD. In a comparison with age and sex matched control patients no significant association with alcohol abuse for the CWD patients or their relatives was found.

Keywords

Compulsive water drinkingpolydipsiawater intoxicationalcoholism.
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , March 1991 , pp. 22 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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