Substance Abuse & Addiction Are Mental Illnesses

Substance Abuse & Addiction Are Mental Illnesses

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) reports a “definite connection between mental illness and the use of addictive substances.” Most will not dispute that untreated mental illness can (and does) lead to self-medication. When people self-medicate, they often turn to addictive substances – like alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs. But there is another side…