Alcohol Use Disorders in the Draft ICD-11, and How They Compare with DSM-5

Purpose of Review: This review examines how disorders due to alcohol are conceptualised, defined and classified in the latest draft of the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) published in November 2017. Some key diagnoses are compared with their nearest counterparts in the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Recently published papers relevant to these comparisons are highlighted. Recent Findings: There are distinct differences between ICD-11 and DSM-5 in how they treat disorders due to alcohol, in both the diagnoses presented and their associated criteria. Shifts in the conceptualisation of substance use disorder have generated some controversy. These relate primarily to the aggregation of DSM-IV Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependence to Alcohol Use Disorder in DSM-5. In the draft ICD-11, there is a simplified definition and the six diagnostic guidelines for Alcohol Dependence in ICD 10 have been combined into three. Early findings indicate high levels of agreement for the diagnosis of Alcohol Dependence in ICD-11, ICD 10 and DSM-IV, with DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder capturing a wider and different aspect of problematic use. The draft ICD-11 has introduced Hazardous Alcohol Use as a distinct diagnosis and details alcohol-related physical disorders, with no DSM equivalents. Summary: Certain diagnoses are unique to a classification system, and preliminary research suggests that modifications in the latest versions may impact on concordance between the two systems in the diagnosis of alcohol use disorders, although further research assessing this across different populations is warranted. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.