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Alcohol Dependence and Phobic Anxiety States I. a Prevalence Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Penelope Smail ,
Tim Stockwell ,
Sandra Canter  and
Ray Hodgson
Penelope Smail
Affiliation:
Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, Middlesex
Tim Stockwell*
Affiliation:
Addiction Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, 101 Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
Sandra Canter
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford
Ray Hodgson
Affiliation:
Top Grade Psychologist, Whitchurch Hospital, Cardiff
*
∗Correspondence
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Summary

Sixty alcoholics (40 males) were assessed for agoraphobia and social phobia, and over half the sample were rated as having either or both these disorders when last drinking. Twenty one subjects had mild phobias and eleven had severe phobias. The more severely phobic males were also found to be the most alcohol dependent and those with no phobias were least alcohol dependent but this effect was not found among the females. All phobic alcoholics reported that alcohol had helped them to cope in feared situations, and almost all had deliberately used it for this purpose.

A small sample of out-patients referred for phobias alone were also asked about their use of alcohol. The majority had found it helpful in coping with fears, although more men than women had deliberately used it for this purpose.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 144 , Issue 1 , January 1984 , pp. 53 - 57
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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