The fact that she was also adopted of course sparked my curiosity as well. I will not dare to say that being adopted caused her to abuse drugs and alcohol, only Dana herself would be able to tell us that. I will tell that you that many adoptees feel a nagging and ongoing 'disquieting loneliness', devastating feelings of rejection, fear of abandonment, and often lead troubled lives. It has been proven that many adoptees attempt to find comfort outside themselves, wherever possible. Other common traits of adoptees are depression, shoplifting, relationship difficulties, and identity problems.
Depression is pretty self-explanatory.
The adoptee may feel hopeless. They may feel sad for no apparent reason. Their life may be going great, but for some reason, they can't be happy about it. Many adoptees, including Dana Plato, have problems with stealing and shoplifting. I believe that many adoptees are reaching out for help and sometimes the only way for them to get attention is to break the law.