Psychiatria pre prax 1/2006

ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME THERAPY

Alcohol addiction is a serious social and medical problem. Besides the antialcohol therapy, in a setting of psychiatric practice, we also focus on the management of the withdrawal syndrome connected to alcohol addiction. Withdrawal syndrome is very often one the first complications, what brings patient to psychiatric treatment. It is one of the most common indications for a psychiatric consult and can significantly complicate the course of somatic disorder treatment. Methods for management of withdrawal syndromes are not unified and it is possible to say, that there is a trend to influence causally the impaired balance between excitation and inhibitory neurotransmitters activity.

Keywords: alcohol withdrawal syndrome, delirium, delirium tremens.