[Clinical classification of alcoholism]

The author submits his own clinical classification and terminology of alcoholism at the symptomatological level, and as regards the description of developmental variants of clinical pictures. At the symptomatological level he uses hitherto valid phenomena from Jellinek/s stages, however, these stages are not conceived as integrated developmental stages. The author describes also other signs, phenomena and symptoms resp. from his own clinical practice, arranged in three basic complexes of symptoms: primary and withdrawal symptoms, and the symptom complex of psychoorganic alcoholic disorders. In addition there is the group of signs covered by the term alcoholic depravation. From the nosological aspect the author gives a central position to the withdrawal syndrome which defines the borderline of dependence. Next the author describes developmental variants of clinical pictures, providing evidence that the clinical picture and development of alcoholism are not uniform. Among pre-dependence terms such as sporadic, frequent, periodic and important position is held by systemic abuse of alcohol which is at the borderline of dependence. The development then proceeds either via habitual ethylism or via alcoholic toxicomania. The difference is among others also in the ratio of internal and external factors facilitating the development of alcoholism. After dichotomization the development tends towards the uniform picture of chronic ethylism. The latter is diagnosed exclusively with regard to the assessed psychoorganic changes, limiting the extent of the defect. Juvenile ethylism is described separately.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)