Acronyms for Substance Use Disorders

Letter to the Editor

Sir: One of the foundations of modern psychiatry is the consistent application of standardized diagnostic criteria, currently those of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). In our work with residents, we are frequently struck by the tendency to be much less rigorous in the diagnosis of substance use disorders than in the diagnosis of other Axis I conditions. Perhaps this is indicative of a residual bias within the profession against substance use disorders as legitimate psychiatric disorders.