Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in opium dependents

Background

The present study explored the relationship between severity of psychiatric disorders and degree of opium dependence as negative prognosis in treatment of drug addicts.

Materials and methods

This is a descriptive- cross sectional. The subjects were 240 (232 men and 8 women) randomly selected from among opium addicts seeking treatment. The instruments were an MMPI test and a psychiatric interview performed individually. The data were analyzed through a Chi Square, analysis of variance and a Tukay test.

Results

The most common method of using opium is the poker- stone method. The or more psychiatric disorders. The most common ones being anti-social personality (25%); Depression (20.5%) and anxiety (18.3%) respectively. The study demonstrated that psychiatric disorders intensity as opium dependence increases; 30.5% of those who used opium smoking pipe 39.2% of those who used poker and stone, 37% of those who sniffed the drug and 92.3% of heroine addicts were found to be suffering from psychiatric disorders.

Discussion

The presence of mental disorders in addicts is not far from reality. To treat them, severity of addiction and psychiatric disorders should both be taken into consideration. Degree of addiction serves both as a sort of negative prognosis in unsuccessful give – up attempts, and as a cause for higher rates of co morbidity of psychiatric disorders.