The two faces of alcohol myopia: attentional mediation of psychological stress

Article Abstract:

Previous studies have sought to explain the addictive properties of alcohol by focusing upon the ability of this drug to reduce tension. Therefore, an underlying motivation for alcohol consumption is to relieve stress. However, a direct relationship between psychological stress and the anxiety-decreasing (anxiolytic) mechanism involved in alcohol intoxication is still not clear. To further investigate this relationship, an attention-allocation model has been developed which emphasizes two major effects: the ability of alcohol to impair cognitive processing (thinking), and the capacity of alcohol to limit the focus of attention to only the most immediate external and internal cues. This latter ability results in a type of narrower state of being, referred to as 'alcohol myopia'; the intoxicated individual processes fewer cues with less efficiency. Two experiments were conducted to assess how alcohol mediates attention in the presence of psychological stress. Measurements of anxiety were obtained using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. In the first study, half of the subjects were given alcohol, while the other half were given a placebo (and thus remained sober). All of the subjects were given undemanding and moderately demanding activities, and anxiety measurements were taken at four different intervals. The results indicated that alcohol reduced anxiety initially, but as the attentional demand increased, the effect of stress reduction associated with the alcohol consumption decreased. In a second trial, about half the subjects received alcohol and the other half did not, and anxiety was measured in relation to moderate, high and no activity. The results were similar to the first trial, but also indicated that highly demanding activities relieved anxiety without alcohol. Increased levels of anxiety were measured in intoxicated subjects in the absence of any activity during both trials. It was concluded that alcohol has an effect upon stress by affecting attention levels, in conjunction with the presence or absence of activity. This reduction of attentional capacity is involved in the mechanism of stress reduction associated with alcohol use. Alcohol-induced impairment also accounts for the expansion of activities that serve to divert the intoxicated individual from feelings of anxiety; the sober individual requires a more demanding activity to achieve the same anxiolytic effect. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Physiological aspects, Stress (Psychology), Alcohol, Ethanol

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Attentional cues in chronic schizophrenia: abnormal disengagement of attention

Article Abstract:

A study using the reaction time (RT) paradigm to study the factors of visual selectivity of schizophrenics was conducted. Subjects included 14 right-handed schizophrenics and 15 right-handed normal subjects. Results indicated similar reactions for both groups. The invalid cues did not detract from the efficacy of the schizophrenics. The paradigm may be used to isolate the factors involved in the attention of a schizophrenic.

Schizophrenia

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Onset and staging of DSM-IV alcohol dependence using mean age and survival-hazard methods

Article Abstract:

The utility of the mean age approach and survival-hazard analysis (SHA) in describing the onset and staging of the alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS), as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, was examined. Results revealed that only SHA identified three distinct stages in the onset of ADS. In addition, only SHA permitted the use of censored observations in studying symptom onset risk.

Usage, Alcoholism, Test validity, Mental illness, Psychological tests, Psychiatric diagnosis, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Book)

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