ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that, in the case of alcoholism, the indications for psycho-analysis should not be determined exclusively by prognosis. The factor of age for example is of more importance in psycho-analysis than in any other form of psycho-therapy. In estimating the therapeutic efficacy of psycho-analysis, it would be well to exclude children under the age of puberty and adults over the age of 45-50. Research and therapy though frequently combined in psycho-analysis are clearly different things. Before attempting to do so students must recognize a subjective source of bias, which although not unknown in general psycho-therapy is particularly obstructive in the case of psycho-analysis. Despite the difficulties there are considerable diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic advantages to be gained by ordering symptom-formations, character disorders and psycho-sexual difficulties in roughly parallel series and by establishing rough states of equivalence between the three groups.
