The DSM-IV AUD symptom criteria distributions and AUD prevalence estimates were very similar in each of the four survey years. Taken together, past year prevalence for DSM-IV AUDs among current drinkers is distributed as follows: dependence, 5.15 percent; abuse only, 6.55 percent; no diagnosis, 88.29 percent (among males, 6.37 percent, 8.70 percent, and 84.92 percent, respectively; among females, 3.85 percent, 4.25 percent, and 91.91 percent, respectively). The distributions of DSM-IV AUDs and AUD symptoms among current drinkers by gender and age group are shown in table 1. Within each gender group, the prevalence of alcohol dependence was highest among respondents ages 18–25 years, followed by respondents ages 12–17 years and lowest among respondents ages 26 years and older. Similar patterns were present for alcohol abuse, except among females, the prevalence of alcohol abuse was highest among respondents ages 12–17 years. Approximately 20 percent of adolescents and younger adults were diagnostic orphans (i.e., respondents with 1 or 2 dependence criteria but no DSM-IV AUD diagnosis) with the proportions slightly lower among adults aged 26 years and older. Figure 1 illustrates the
