A categorization for the assessment of prognosis and outcome in the treatment of alcoholism.

The article describes the rating scales used for the assessment of prognosis and outcome in the treatment of alcoholism. The prognostic scales, which can be regarded as ordinal scales, cover four major areas which include social adjustment, previous treatment of alcoholism and responses to such treatment, effects of alcoholism, and insight or the patient's awareness of the illness. Each scale under the four major areas is briefly discussed. The general principles underlying these scales, as well as their reproducibility are described.