Risk of inpatient stay for mental illness among individuals with substance use disorders.

OBJECTIVE

Whereas most studies of inpatient stay for mental illness examine whether substance use is present, this study identified types or combinations of abused substances that most increased hospitalization risk.

METHODS

Logistic regression of data from the 2007 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (N=37,654) was used to predict past-year hospitalization of individuals with DSM-IV substance use disorders.

RESULTS

Even after the inclusion of control variables, adults with four types of substance abuse or dependence were more likely to be hospitalized than adults without substance abuse or dependence. High-risk disorders included abuse of or dependence on opioid analgesics (odds ratio [OR]=6.85, p<.001), cocaine (OR=2.65, p<.05), alcohol and cocaine (OR=2.58, p<.05), and alcohol and marijuana (OR=3.10, p<.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Researchers examining inpatient stays may find it beneficial to look at abuse of specific substances or combinations of substances, and efforts to prevent inpatient stays could target people with high-risk substance use disorders.