More Than 10% of U.S. Adults Develop Drug Problems

Many of these abuses are associated with psychiatric disorders, study finds.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
Monday, May 7, 2007; 12:00 AM

Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

MONDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- Ten percent of American adults abuse drugs at some point in their lives, including 2.6 percent who become dependent on drugs, according to a new federal report.

Many people with drug abuse and dependency problems also have personality disorders and psychiatric problems, the report found.

"Drug abuse disorders are common in the United States, that's not unexpected," said lead researcher Dr. Wilson M. Compton, of the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Drug abuse is most common among younger age groups," he added.

In addition, few people with drug problems get treatment, Compton said, adding that many people with drug problems also have psychiatric problems.

"We looked at which specific psychiatric disorders are related to drug abuse and dependence," he said. "Although many disorders are associated with drug problems, bipolar disorder and antisocial personality are the most common."

To determine the extent of drug abuse or dependence, Compton and his colleagues collected data on 43,093 adults and their use of drugs, including alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers, opiates, stimulants, hallucinogens, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants/solvents and others.

They also looked at the prevalence of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The researchers found that over the previous 12 months, 1.4 percent of the people in the study reported they had abused drugs, and 0.6 percent said they were dependent on drugs. Also, 7.7 percent said they developed drug abuse and 2.6 percent drug dependence over their lifetime.

Drug abuse and dependence tended to be higher among men, Native Americans, people aged 18 to 44, lower socioeconomic groups, those living in the West and those who were single, the researchers found.

Those who abused drugs typically started at about 20 years of age, while those with drug dependence developed the condition at about 21.7 years of age. Among drug abusers, about 8.1 percent received treatment, as did 37.9 percent of those who were drug-dependent, the study found.