ICD‐11 for Alcohol Use Disorders: Not a Convincing Answer to the Challenges

Abstract

The latest revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) is slated for publication in mid-2019 and will include a revised definition for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and, more specifically, for alcohol dependence and the harmful patterns of alcohol use. In a recent issue, Saunders and colleagues (Saunders et al., 2019) reviewed the process employed in deciding upon these revisions, and embedded it into an historical context. While the authors have not stressed this point, it should be clear that all AUD diagnostic systems are fallible simplifications of complex and not completely understood phenomena that were developed for clinicians to use and not for researchers (Schuckit, 2019, personal communication; see also (World Health Organization, 1957, Room, 1998)). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.