ABSTRACT
Screening for alcoholism in primary care settings has obvious relevance to health care because this disorder has been found to coexist with, or be causative of, numerous physical and mental disorders. In addition, alcoholism is a disorder in and of itself, requiring no other physical or psychiatric disorder to be present for a diagnosis to be made. It is a relatively common disorder, yet paradoxically it is underdiagnosed in primary care settings. To the surprise of many, it is a treatable disorder, yet scarcely 10% of alcoholics undergo formal treatment. Although considered a hidden disorder, it nonetheless can be detected with a relatively high degree of confidence in a setting where its prevalence is 10% or greater.
