---
title: "Psych News Alert: Pop Singer Sensation Whitney Houston Struggled With Substance Abuse"
description: Pop singer sensation Whitney Houston’s sudden death at the age of 48 shocked fans all over the world this weekend, and today ABC News is rep...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Lights_57058639-Jun-24-2025-06-42-24-2848-PM.jpg
---

 2/13/12 12:00 AM

# Pop Singer Sensation Whitney Houston Struggled With Substance Abuse

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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Pop singer sensation Whitney Houston’s sudden death at the age of 48 shocked fans all over the world this weekend, and today ABC News is reporting that although autopsy results won’t be conclusive for weeks, substance abuse may have contributed to her death. Houston was found with her head under water in a bathtub in a Beverly Hills hotel. Houston was a superstar in the 1980s and 1990s but led a tumultuous personal life that included bouts with addiction and several admissions to drug rehab. For extensive coverage of substance abuse, see *[Psychiatric News](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=113917)* and *[Cocaine and Metamphetamine Addiction: Advances in Treatment](http://www.appi.org/SearchCenter/Pages/SearchDetail.aspx?ItemId=62407)*, from American Psychiatric Publishing.

(Image: Nagy Melinda/Shutterstock.com )

[substance abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/substance-abuse)

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## [Whitney Houston's Death Sends Message to Clinicians](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/04/whitney-houston-death-sends-message-to.html)

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 4/6/12 12:00 AM

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[substance use](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/substance-use), [addiction](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/addiction), [substance use disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/substance-use-disorder), [Petros Levounis](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/petros-levounis), [neurobiology](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/neurobiology), [Mental Health Services Conference](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-health-services-conference), [opioid epidemic](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/opioid-epidemic)

## [Mental Health Services Conference Kicks Off With Presidential Session on Addiction](https://alert.psychnews.org/2023/10/mental-health-services-conference-kicks.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 10/13/23 12:00 AM

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[suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [samhsa](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/samhsa), [substance abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/substance-abuse)

## [Major Survey Finds Suicide Rates Higher in Illicit Drug Users Than General Population](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/01/major-survey-finds-suicide-rates-higher.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 1/16/14 12:00 AM

Today, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that adults...

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