Diagnosis of comorbid psychiatric disorders in substance users assessed with the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders for DSM-IV.

Objective: The authors used the Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders for DSM-IV (PRISM-IV) to test the reliability of DSM-IV-defined disorders, including primary and substance-induced disorders, in substance-abusing subjects.

Method: Substance-abusing patients (N=285) from substance abuse/dual-diagnosis treatment settings and mental health treatment settings participated in test and blind retest interviews with the PRISM-IV, which includes specific guidelines for assessment of substance abusers.

Results: Kappas for primary and substance-induced major depressive disorder ranged from 0.

Differences in drinking patterns among Ashkenazic and Sephardic Israeli adults.

Objective: Since its foundation in 1948, Israel has received large waves of immigrants, mainly from Europe (Ashkenazic Jews, or Ashkenazim) and from North Africa and other Middle Eastern countries (Sephardic Jews. or Sephardim). In Israeli society, Ashkenazic Jews are an advantaged ethnic group, whereas Sephardic Jews are relatively disadvantaged.

The drinking of earlier and more recent Russian immigrants to Israel: comparison to other Israelis.

Objectives: Russia has a high level of per capita alcohol consumption, while the level in Israel is low. Since 1989, over 820,000 Russian Jews immigrated to Israel. In the 1970's and early 1980's, a smaller wave of immigration from Russia to Israel occurred (approximately 170,000).

Withdrawal and tolerance: prognostic significance in DSM-IV alcohol dependence.

Objective: The clinical and research importance of tolerance and/or withdrawal in the diagnosis of substance dependence has been identified as a key area needing clarification. Earlier longitudinal studies did not identify whether diagnoses of alcohol dependence were current or lifetime. In this study, the prognostic significance of the DSM-IV physiological specifier was investigated among cases of alcohol dependence current at the baseline interview.