Prevelance of drug addiction among psychiatric out patients

Abstract EN

Background : Drug addiction is a common problem all over the world including counrries in the fiddle East.

In kaq, the size of this problem is not known due to the lack of epidemiological Studies but there is consensus among expefts that the problem is there and that it is growing.

|jni of study: To find the prevalence of drug dependence among psych iatric out patients.

ofients and methods : All psychiatric inpatients in the psychiatric unit of Nassiriya General flosp'tal during a period of 6 months were interviewed about the presence of drug dependence, ffj^who where find to be drug dependent were asked to fill 'a questionnaire and were further jjjrviewed.

Some data were taken from the case records of patients.

fgfPs : ll%o of inpatients were drug addict, all were males.

Abuse ol alcohol and tobacco «4Png were high lrcng drug dependants, TlVo were lsing injectable drugs.

Comorbidity with ll1 Psychiatric disorders was 100%.

fe "sion: Drug addiction was recognized among psychiatric out patients, most cases were not iS^'red to the treating doctors, which further complicate the picture about the size of the |?J>lem of drug dependence