Nationwide Survey Spotlights U.S. Alcohol Abuse

American Psychological Services (USA): A clear and surprising picture of alcoholism is emerging from a mammoth new nationwide survey sponsored by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Its findings show that alcoholism is primarily an affliction of youth and heighten suspicion that an underlying trait predisposes people to an unfortunate trifecta of alcoholism, substance abuse and mental disorders. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcoholism and Related Condition (NESARC) is surveying not only alcohol-related behaviors but a host of mental disorders, many of which are tied to alcoholism, says survey director Bridget Grant, PhD, PhD, a double-doctorate psychologist and epidemiologist. The NESARC questionnaire measures symptoms of disorders such as major depression, antisocial personality and generalized anxiety disorder along a continuum, allowing for factor analyses. That, says Grant, makes the NESARC data "perfect for psychologists because that's the way they conceptualize the world, as along a continuum of mental health from normal to abnormal." For the full report, please visit NIAAA's website.