Example substance abuse dissertation topic 3:

The treatment of alcohol abuse in the elderly: Recommendations for practice

In 2011, the Royal College of Psychiatrists drew attention to the increasing problem of alcohol abuse amongst the elderly in the paper, ‘Our invisible addicts’. Some of the issues that cause excessive alcohol consumption in the elderly include habitual purchasing patterns (for example, when the household shopping usually includes a bottle of spirits, but others in the household have died or moved away), drinking as a means of self-medication in depression, changing body reactions to personal alcohol limits, effects of medication, and so on. This dissertation considers ways to assist the elderly to review their alcohol consumption in ways that are not condemnatory, and to help them see that their quality of life will improve if recourse to excessive alcohol use is resisted. Using interviews with patients and care providers, this study will provide an arena for both primary and secondary research.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Crome, I.  and Rao, R. (2011) ‘Substance misuse and older people – Our Invisible Addicts’, Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Vol. 4(4), pp. 267-269.
• Crome, I., Li, T.K., Rao, R. and Wu, L.T. (2012) ‘Alcohol limits in older people’, Addiction, not yet published.
• Lee, H.S., Mericle, A.A., Ayalon, L. and Areán, P.A. (2009) ‘Harm reduction among at-risk elderly drinkers: A site-specific analysis from the multi-site Primary Care Research in Substance Abuse and Mental Health for Elderly (PRISM-E) study’, International Journal of Geriatic Psychiatry, Vol. 24, pp. 54-60.