[Psycho-organic syndrome in drug addicts and alcoholics].

Organic brain syndromes in alcoholics can be observed on three different levels (subclinical impairment of mental skills, amnestic syndrome und dementia, neuropsychiatric disturbances). Subclinical psychological deficits depend on amount and duration of alcohol abuse, length of the withdrawal period and age of alcoholics. Amnestic syndrome and dementia disturbances are well-known in the Wernicke-Korsakoff-syndrome. In a survey of literature the actual knowledge about these different deficiency-syndromes is summarized.