Sex Differences in Substance Abuse: 1976–1979

Drug abuse patterns are examined for 326,611 males and females who abused drugs and were treated at a hospital emergency room or died. The data reveal a marked percentage difference between male and female mentions of heroin, PCP, and diazepam. A significantly larger proportion of females than males indicated their motivation for drug abuse to be a suicide attempt or gesture. Diazepam, alcohol-in-combination, and aspirin are the most frequently mentioned drugs by those whose motivation is suicidal. However, the percentage difference between males and females for these three drugs is less than 6%. The data were collected during the years 1976-1979.