Information on the policy of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol
regarding the appropriate use of the term "abuse"
Information on the policy of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol
regarding the appropriate use of the term "abuse"
In
recent years it has become increasingly apparent that the clinicians and researchers
who submit manuscripts to the Journal of Studies on Alcohol have been using
the term alcohol or other substance "abuse" in a variety of ways and
to describe quite different phenomena. For example, some contributors have limited
the use of the term substance "abuse" to describe the symptoms of
individuals meeting the specific criteria for a diagnosis of abuse as listed
in the third, the third revised, or the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric
Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). On
the other hand, some authors have used the term "abuse" as a substitute
for "use of an illegal substance," or to indicate some substance-related
problems that do not necessarily meet the criteria set forth in any standard
diagnostic manual.
In
an effort to avoid the confusion that may arise when different authors use the
same term to describe different phenomena or experiences, the Journal is now
requesting that authors use the term substance "abuse" only in a DSM
III, III-R, or IV context in accepted manuscripts. As with dependence, it is
also important to state which diagnostic manual is being used. Other non-DSM
definitions of the term "abuse" may be permitted providing that they
relate to specific diagnoses listed in other previously published major diagnostic
systems (e.g., ICD-9).
If
authors are using the term "abuse" other than in connection with the
diagnoses specified in the DSM or other published systems, we ask that they
change their terminology. For alcohol, alternative terms might include "alcohol
misuse" or "heavy" or "problem use" of alcohol. For
illegal substances, authors might refer to "illicit substance use"
or "use of illicit drugs."
On a final note, the Journal strongly encourages authors to carefully distinguish
between the terms "abuse" and "dependence" (as defined in
the DSM or other major published nomenclature) in their papers.
For more information on the Journal's definition of this or other terms, authors should contact either the editor or the associate editor assigned to handle their manuscripts.