[Mental and physical symptoms in alcoholics after alcohol withdrawal]

Much of the recent interest in the risk factors of relapse in alcoholics has focused on the withdrawal depressive state. Although the clinical relevance of this syndrome is often acknowledged, definite empirical research on subjective symptoms has not been presented in detail. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the characteristics of mentally or physically subjective symptoms of alcoholics and to discuss the risk factors to "slip". To evaluate the subjective symptoms, the health questionnaire that is composed of 62 items was applied to 73 admitted alcoholics. The principal component analysis obtained for the questionnaire of mental symptoms extracted five factors as followed, 1) feeling of estrangement or emptiness, 2) anxiety or impatient, 3) depressive mood or sleeping disturbance, 4) endogenous depressive factor, 5) unstable emotion. Additionally, five factors on physical symptoms were extracted as follows, 1) autonomic dysregulation related to neurasthenic state, 2) autonomic dysregulation related to hysterical neurosis, 3) loss of libido, 4) appetite loss, 5) dry mouth or sweating. These findings emphasized that many alcoholics felt the feeling of maladjustment and emotionally unstable under the "sobriety" state. These also suggest the "slip" of alcoholics should depend on expectation to reduce their tension, conflict and frustration under the influence of alcohol.