Phenomenology and Treatment of Alcoholism is the fourth in a series of texts on the major psychiatric disorders developed by the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Like the previous three volumes on depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety, this text the proceedings of a two day symposium conducted by Baylor. represents Psychiatrists and other physicians and scientists who have made major contributions to the field of study were invited to discuss important aspects of their work with a large group of other medical professionals. Questions of definition, diagnosis, and clinical management were addressed with a degree of specificity and detail not normally found in general psychiatric texts nor in books presenting an individual outlook or treatment approach. More than most other psychiatric ailments, alcoholism generates considerable interest among the general medical profession. Psychosis and affective disorders are clearly and specifically within the province of the psychiatrist. Neurotic disorders are often treated by the primary care practitioner in their more moderate manifestations, but by psychiatrists when they reach their most malignant stages. Alcoholism, on the other hand, is confronted by virtually every medical practitioner, whether generalist or specialist. Alcoholism is among the most prevalent and difficult disorders afflicting human beings. It may exist discretely, as a precipitant, or as a complication of other major diseases, intruding upon virtually every physiological and psychological symptom complex.
