Substance Abuse: A Disease Among the Elderly

Substance abuse affects every age, gender and ethnicity, but individuals may choose to use different substances depending on their age. For example, sniffing glue or paint is more common among high school-aged individuals, whereas illicit use of prescription painkillers, also known as narcotics, is common among the elderly. Another commonly abused substance among older-aged individuals […]…

The Truth About Polysubstance Abuse Disorder

Polysubstance abuse refers to the consumption of one or more illicit substances over a defined period or simultaneously. It was once a diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but it was eliminated from the DSM-5 criteria. Currently, substance use disorder is the proper term for anyone with a substance abuse problem, […]…