Drug use disorder in the US has increased by how much? Check out the numbers here!

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A new study conducted by researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reveals that as much as 10 percent of the American population has suffered from drug use disorders (DUDs) at least once in their lifetime. According to Medical Daily, drug use disorders or DUDs are considered mental health issues and are covered under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (DSM-5).

Researchers conducted a large national survey of American adults between 2012 and 2013 to find out just how many individuals have lifetime drug use disorder diagnoses from drug use in the last 12 months or prior to that. The study authors found that about 10 percent of the US population or more than 23.3 Americans have drug use disorder, and many of them were untreated.

Study authors led by Bridget F. Grant, Ph.D., of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, Md. analyzed the data from the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III), which included in-person interviews with 36,309 adults. DUD was defined as amphetamine, cannabis, club drug, cocaine, hallucinogen, heroin, nonheroin opioid, sedative/tranquilizer or solvent/inhalant use disorders.

Researchers found that about 3.9 percent of Americans or 9.1 million adults had 12-month DUD diagnoses due to past-year drug use while 9.9 percent had lifetime diagnoses. According to the data, DUD was more common among men, white, and Native American individuals, the young and previously or never married adults. It was also common among adults with lower education, lower income, and those who lived in the West.

EurekAlert also reports that DUD was linked to alcohol and nicotine use disorders while several mental health conditions such as major depressive disorder, bipolar, posttraumatic stress disorder and personality disorders were also associated with 12-month DUD diagnoses. Lifetime DUD diagnoses were linked with mental health conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social phobia.

Results also showed that disability resulting from DUD increased with greater severity and those adults with 12-month DUD diagnoses had lower mental health, social functioning, and role emotional functioning.

"DSM-5 DUD is prevalent among U.S. adults. The public is increasingly less likely to disapprove of specific types of drug use (e.g., marijuana) or to see it as risky, and consistent with these attitudes, laws governing drug use are becoming more permissive," study authors wrote. "However, the present NESARC-III findings on disability and comorbidity indicate that DUDs, as defined by the new DSM-5 nosology, are serious conditions affecting many millions of Americans."