The CAGE Questionnaire and Psychological Health

Summary Of 331 admissions to the wards of a general hospital 4.8% were diagnosed alcoholic using the CAGE questionnaire with the usual cut‐off point of 2/3. Using a cut‐off point of 1/2 on the CAGE there were found to be significantly more cases of anxiety and depression among the male CAGE 2, 3 and 4 scores as a group than among the CAGE 0 and 1 scorers taken as a group. Those who admitted to early morning drinking were more likely to present as cases of anxiety and/or depression than those who did not. Lowering the CAGE cut‐off point to 1/2 would increase the diagnosed prevalence of alcoholism or problem drinking in this population to 9%. The order of frequency in which the questions of the CAGE were answered is used to delineate the development of deleterious alcohol consumption.