Substance Abuse

Diagnosis & Testing

Illegal Drug Use vs Drug Abuse

Although many studies have been conducted to survey illegal drug use in America, no research has been done in the past generation on the prevalence of illegal/legal drug use, other associated diseases or disorders, or types of treatment, if any, which may have been used.

Therefore, this study funded in part by the National Institute of Health was a milestone in epidemiology to look at Americans and what drugs were being used, and what are the characteristics of those who use the drugs.

Diagnosing Substance Abuse

There are a number of criteria that must be met before someone can be diagnosed accurately as having a substance abuse disorder. And there are differences between substance use and abuse.

The link below outlines the criteria from three sources: