The revision to the diagnostic classification for alcohol consumption, DSM-5 (released May 2013) integrates the two DSM-IV disorders, ‘alcohol abuse’ and ‘alcohol dependence’, into a single disorder called ‘alcohol-use disorder’ (AUD). The distinction is based on sets of diagnostic criteria and classified in terms of severity (mild, moderate, and severe sub-classifications) and based on the number of criteria endorsed: mild AUD – 2+ criteria required, moderate AUD – 4-5 criteria required, and severe AUD – 6+ criteria required. ‘Recurrent legal problems’, a criterion for abuse in DSM-IV, has been removed from DSM-5. A new criterion for AUD has been added: ‘craving or a strong desire or urge to use a substance’. The NSWBTRC continues to use DSM-IV for the primary classification criteria, but cases are also classified according to DSM-5 to assist the analysis of phenotype data.
