Behavior of addicted patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic led governments to take a number of restrictive measures, which had an impact on the consumption of psychoactive substances among the world population. Objectives The present study, carried out by the Addictology Center of Ar-razi Hospital in Salé, aimed to evaluate the behavior of addicted patients followed in ambulatory care, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study with 128 patients, through a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic factors, psychiatric history, type and quantity of substances used during the pandemic, and withdrawal attempts. Results The primary substance used was tobacco, followed by Cannabis, alcohol, hypnotics, and then Cocaine. 63% of patients reported an increase in their consumption during the pandemic, 64% started new substances, mainly Cannabis, followed by organic solvents. The monthly amount spent by our patients varied from 300 to 40,000 dhs/month, the source of this amount was legal in 92.2% of the cases, 43.8% had already been incarcerated or taken into custody as a result of this consumption. 78% of our patients had already tried to wean themselves off the drug, but only 39% were able to succeed. Conclusions The pandemic had a profound effect on the incidence of substance use. Confining the population has indeed reduced the transmission of the virus, but it is far from harmless for the mind. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• Addiction
• pandemic