This article outlines the majority of the adverse physical effects that have been described secondary to the consumption of alcohol at levels above recommended sensible limits. These conditions are cited according to the organ system they belong to. Only brief descriptions are provided because of the vastness of this topic. The underlying pathophysiology of tolerance and withdrawal is touched upon as this is of relevance to the psychiatrist. Definitions of the terms used describing alcohol misuse, and sensible upper limits of alcohol consumption are also mentioned.

Choking due to food inhalation is a problem with potentially fatal consequences. Young children are particularly at risk as they have immature dentition and control of swallowing, and lack experience of food. Although young children should avoid potentially dangerous foods such as raw carrot sticks and raw apples, certain currently available information packages for parents recommend these foods.

This study examined whether Perceived Criticism (PC) was related to community functioning in a sample of African-American consumers with schizophrenia. The study tested assumptions from the Expressed Emotion literature that were based primarily on samples of white consumers. The study found that PC affected psychiatric symptomatology but not psychosocial functioning. Greater family contact was strongly related to better psychosocial functioning. Findings suggested that the nature and impact of contact between consumer and family for this sample of African-Americans appears different from what has been found in white, middle-class samples.

There is a critical need to test how family contextual factors impact outpatient consumer functioning in schizophrenia. This is the first study of two companion studies reported here that tests family factors' influence on consumer functioning. Ninety-three low income inner-city African American consumer-family dyads were tested to see the possible impact of family factors, based on the EE and family caregiver burden literatures, on consumer psychosocial functioning (work, social, and independent living). The results supported a model wherein greater amounts of family contact had a significant relationship with better consumer psychosocial functioning. Additionally, family dysfunction had a direct negative relationship to consumer psychosocial functioning while family pressures and resources had an indirect negative relationship to consumer psychosocial functioning. Results are in marked contrast to what impacted consumer clinical functioning for the same sample. The findings appear to confirm that family factors differently impact the domains of clinical and psychosocial functioning. These findings are new for understanding the contextual factors that impact consumer functioning, especially psychosocial functioning.

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