---
title: "Psych News Alert: Whitney Houston's Death Sends Message to Clinicians"
description: An official autopsy report released Wednesday reveals that popular singer Whitney Houston had cocaine in her body at the time of her death i...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_88188496-Jun-24-2025-06-27-40-5998-PM.jpg
---

 4/6/12 12:00 AM

# Whitney Houston's Death Sends Message to Clinicians

![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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An official autopsy report released Wednesday reveals that popular singer Whitney Houston had cocaine in her body at the time of her death in a Beverly Hills hotel room on February 11. Houston, who recorded such hit songs as “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” and “Greatest Love of All,” was a superstar in the 1980s and 1990s but led a tumultous personal life that included bouts with addiction and admissions to drug rehab. The tragedy is a reminder that clinicians should screen all patients for substance use disorders and help those who screen positive to get appropriate treatment; also, maintenance treatment for such patients may be needed.  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: SkillUp/shutterstock.com)

[drug addiction](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/drug-addiction)

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

## [Pop Singer Sensation Whitney Houston Struggled With Substance Abuse](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/02/pop-singer-sensation-whitney-houston.html)

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 2/13/12 12:00 AM

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[MindGames](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mindgames), [American Psychiatric Association](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/american-psychiatric-association)

## [University of Texas at Houston Wins APA's MindGames](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/05/university-of-texas-at-houston-wins-apa.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) 

 5/9/12 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/05/university-of-texas-at-houston-wins-apa.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_61569622-Jun-24-2025-10-47-25-6427-PM.jpg?height=200&name=shutterstock_61569622-Jun-24-2025-10-47-25-6427-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/03/apa-supports-liability-relief-bill.html)

[Liability reform](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/liability-reform), [Congress](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/congress), [malpractice](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/malpractice)

## [APA Supports Liability Relief Bill Passed by House](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/03/apa-supports-liability-relief-bill.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) 

 3/23/12 12:00 AM

APA is supporting the Help Efficient Accessible Low-cost Timely Healthcare Act (H.R. 5) which was...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2012/03/apa-supports-liability-relief-bill.html)

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