Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England 2007’
New Estimates of Alcohol Misuse and Dependence
New estimates of the prevalence in hazardous and harmful drinking and alcohol dependence are contained in `Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England 2007’, a survey carried out for The NHS Information Centre for health and social care by the National Centre for Social Research and the Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2007 is the third survey of psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households. The main aim of the 2007 survey was to collect data on mental health among adults aged 16 and over living in private households in England. It is the primary source of information on the prevalence of both treated and untreated psychiatric disorders and their associations: data which cannot be obtained from other sources.
A summary of Chapter 9 of the report, which covers alcohol misuse and dependence, is below.
Summary
Hazardous drinking is a pattern of alcohol consumption carrying risks of physical and psychological harm to the individual. Harmful drinking denotes the most hazardous use of alcohol, at which damage to health is likely. One possible outcome of harmful drinking is alcohol dependence, a cluster of behavioural, cognitive, and physiological phenomena that typically include a strong desire to consume alcohol, and difficulties in controlling drinking.
This chapter presents prevalence estimates of hazardous and harmful drinking, and of alcohol dependence in the adult general population. It should be noted that a survey of the household population such as this is likely to under-represent dependent adults, who are more likely to be homeless or in an institutional setting. Moreover, problem drinkers who do live in private households may, like problem drug users, be less available, able or willing to participate in surveys.
Hazardous and harmful drinking was measured using the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test). An AUDIT score of eight or more indicated hazardous drinking, and 16 or more indicated harmful drinking. Alcohol dependence was assessed using the SADQC (Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire, community version). A SADQ-C score of four to 19 indicated mild dependence; a score of 20 to 34, moderate dependence; and a score of 35 or more, severe dependence.
The prevalence of hazardous drinking identified by APMS 2007 was 24.2%(33.2%of men, 15.7%of women). This included 3.8%of adults (5.8%of men, 1.9%of women) whose drinking could be categorised as harmful. In men, the highest prevalence of both hazardous and harmful drinking was in 25 to 34 year olds, in women in 16 to 24 year olds.
The prevalence of alcohol dependence was 5.9%(8.7%of men, 3.3%of women). For men, the highest levels of dependence were identified in those between the ages of 25 and 34 (16.8%), for women in those between the ages of 16 and 24 (9.8%). Most recorded dependence was categorised as mild (5.4%), with relatively few adults reporting symptoms of moderate or severe dependence (0.4%and 0.1%respectively).
The prevalence of alcohol dependence was lower for men in 2007 than in 2000, whereas it remained at a similar level in women.
Alcohol dependence was more common in white men and women than in those from minority ethnic groups. There were no significant variations in the prevalence of dependence by region or income. However, the likelihood of being a hazardous drinker did vary between regions.
14%of alcohol dependent adults were currently receiving treatment for a mental or emotional problem. Dependent women (26%) were more likely than dependent men (9%) to be in receipt of such treatment.
The full report is attached as a pdf, together with the appendices and glossary which fully explain the meaning of the terms used.