Comparative Study of Memory Function of Patients with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome and Normal Population

Memory has been recognized as one of the major cognitive faculties and this has been an area of investigation for psychiatric and non-psychiatric conditions since very long time. There are evidences in the present literature which are suggestive of excessive alcohol intake can lead to deterioration in various types of memory. The objective of the present study was to assess various types of memory in people with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome(ADS) and compare the findings with normal population. In the present study authors used a cross sectional, hospital based, between group designs. Memory scale of an Indian standardized neuropsychological test battery was administered on patients with ADS based on ICD -10 criteria and a comparison was done with equal number of normal people. Patients with ADS showed significant deficits in most of the domains of memory functioning. Future studies can foster more comprehensive assessment and necessary psychological management for them.