Types of substance use and predictors of substance use disorders in patients suffering from psychiatric disorders - A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background: The types of substances used by psychiatric patients in Iraq and the Middle East vary from other areas of the world. In this region, patients mostly use prescribed drugs. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the types of substance use disorder (SUD) and their correlates among psychiatric patients in the Kurdistan region. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on patients, who visited outpatient psychiatric consultation units in the Kurdistan region of Iraq within 6 months. In this study, two hundred fifty (250) adult patients of both genders diagnosed with psychiatric disorders were included. Results: Alcohol use disorder was diagnosed in 10 (4%) of cases; after that, the most commonly used substances were benzodiazepine and trihexyphenidyl, each of them positive in 7 (2.8%) of cases, followed by opiates in 4 (1.6%) cases and poly substances in 2 (0.8%) of the cases. The correlates of SUDs included male gender, divorced person, higher educational level, and being employed. Conclusion: Psychiatric patients mostly use prescribed medications, especially benzodiazepines and trihexyphenidyl. Future research will be required to study the comorbidity between psychiatric disorders and SUDs in various groups and different settings.

Keywords

• alcohol
• benzodiazepines
• comorbidity
• substance use disorders
• trihexyphenidyl