The Burden of Mental Illness, Alcohol Use Disorder, and Underage Drinking

Studies have shown that alcohol causes or contributes to numerous neuropsychiatric diseases, which is why Atul Bhardwaj focused on determining the impact of alcohol on mental and behavioral disorders in a detailed study. Using an analysis of variance, the author found that alcoholic consumption accounts for 42.5 percent of the total variance in disability-adjusted life years caused by mental and behavioral disorders. The study highlights the effect alcohol has on underage drinkers, which statistics show often engage in excessive and high-risk drinking that results in higher health care costs, educational failures, fatal and serious accidents, and increased crime. Policy makers must take urgent action to prevent substance abuse at critical transitional life stages. By lessening the stigma of seeking help and removing other barriers that prevent many from seeking treatment, we’ll be able to start solving problems related to alcohol addiction.