Substance Use Disorder in Older Adults
Research now shows substance abuse disorder (SUD) is a growing concern among older adults. While illicit drug use usually decreases after young adulthood, about one million adults 65 years and older suffer from SUD.
Providing help for these people can be challenging due to a lack of awareness the older adults and healthcare professionals. Another challenge comes from false ideas that older adults don’t misuse substances. These misconceptions lead to the issue of mistaking signs of substance abuse for health-related aging problems.
Older adults may abuse substances as a coping mechanism to deal with loneliness, chronic pain, stress, depression, or anxiety. Some of the more common substances older adults tend to abuse are alcohol, cannabis, benzodiazepines, opioids, cocaine, and heroin. Misusing these substances puts SUD patients at an increased risk of suicide. Alcohol accounts for 22% of suicide in this age group.
Raising awareness among patients, healthcare workers, and family members can help identify substance abuse problems and help intervene with proper treatment.
Coggins, M. (2023). Substance use disorder in older adults. Today’s Geriatric Medicine, 16(4), 18. https://www.todaysgeriatricmedicine.com/archive/JA23p18.shtml