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The Bender Alcoholic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Marc Schuckit
Affiliation:
Washington University School of Medicine, 4940 Audubon Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
John Rimmer
Affiliation:
Washington University School of Medicine, 4940 Audubon Avenue, St. Louis, Mo., George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
Theodore Reich
Affiliation:
Washington University School of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
George Winokur
Affiliation:
Washington University School of Medicine

Extract

Jellinek describes periodic or Epsilon alcoholism as the ‘least known species of alcoholism’ (1). Åmark (2), comparing them to the general population, found periodic drinkers to be older at time of study, to show increased heritability in offspring and to have a higher incidence of cycloid and cyclothymic personalities. His determination of cyclothymic personality traits reinforces the hypothesis of Dobnigg et al. (3) of a correlative between periodic drinking patterns and affective symptoms. This paper examines the usefulness of the diagnosis of ‘bender’ alcoholism.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1971 

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References

1. Jellinek, E. M. (1960). The Disease Concept of Alcoholism. New Brunswick: College and University Press in association with Hillhouse Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Åmark, C. (1960). ‘A study in alcoholism: clinical social-psychiatric and genetic investigations.’ Acta psychiat. neurol. Scand. Suppl. 70.Google Scholar
3. Dobnigg, C., and von Economo, C. (1920). ‘Die hereditäre Belastung der Dipsomanen.’ Allg. Ztschr. Psychiat. 76, 383.Google Scholar
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5. SChuckit, M., Pitts, F. N. Jr., Reich, T., King, L., and Winokur, G. (1969). ‘Alcoholism: two types of alcoholism in women.’ Arch. gen. Psychiat., 20, 301–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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