A 35-year-old woman with low mood and concerns about her alcohol use

Andriy V. Samokhvalov; Bernard Le Foll

doi:10.1503/cmaj.160132

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What role does Humanity play in assessing and treating alcohol use disorder?
Hillel M. Finestone

Posted on: 03 October 2017

Posted on: (3 October 2017)

What role does Humanity play in assessing and treating alcohol use disorder?
Hillel M. Finestone, MD, Physiatrist
Other Contributors:
The Practice/Decisions article by Andriy V. Samokhvalov et al on a case of "alcohol use disorder" pretty much summarizes how physicians, despite much medical education emphasis to the contrary, continue to split the mind, society and the body. The questions posed by the authors concerning a 35 year old single woman who is consuming "one to two bottles of wine almost every night" are : 1) What diagnoses should be considered...
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The Practice/Decisions article by Andriy V. Samokhvalov et al on a case of "alcohol use disorder" pretty much summarizes how physicians, despite much medical education emphasis to the contrary, continue to split the mind, society and the body. The questions posed by the authors concerning a 35 year old single woman who is consuming "one to two bottles of wine almost every night" are : 1) What diagnoses should be considered, 2) Does the patient require admission to hospital or medication for alcohol withdrawl, 3) Does the patient require medication, 4) What should the treatment plan include? The "case resolution" discusses how the patient "set a goal to reduce the amount of alcohol she consumed". Really? Is this the message that we want to convey to medical learners and the public? What about a question "how did it come about that the patient started to drink so much? What non-drug interventions are available to enable this relatively young woman to better understand herself, her environment, her culture etc so that this and other addictive behaviours can be pr-empted and she can better self manage herself. Instead we read one sentence that reads "pharmacotherapy should be supported by psychotherapy and psychoeducation to increase compliance and effectiveness". Where is the Humanity? So disheartening.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.