Inhalant abuse in the military: an unrecognized threat

Although inhalant abuse represents the third most commonly abused class of drugs in the military, it is a frequently overlooked form of substance abuse in the active duty population. Inhalants' lack of visibility is also evident in the civilian community. In both the civilian and military communities, the factors leading to underrecognition of inhalant abuse include high availability, low cost, lack of drug screening and drug treatment programs, and frequent misdiagnosis by clinicians. This review seeks to inform care providers about the prevalence, health risks, diagnosis, and treatment of inhalant abuse in the active duty population, and encourages clinicians to be more aggressive in the identification of this serious but underrecognized problem.