Saeed Banaz
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, IRQ.
Cureus. 2024 Dec 10;16(12):e75483. doi: 10.7759/cureus.75483. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Substance use is a growing concern, impacting the health, social stability, and economic well-being of individuals and communities. In Iraq, particularly in Erbil, limited data exists on the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). This study aims to identify these characteristics among inpatients at Hawler Psychiatric Hospital to better understand the profiles and associated factors influencing substance use in this region.
A retrospective study was conducted at Hawler Psychiatric Hospital from January 2023 to September 2024. A total of 115 patient records with substance use disorder diagnoses were reviewed. Data on sociodemographic details, clinical characteristics, types of substances used, and comorbidities were collected and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016 (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) and IBM SPSS Statistics version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Frequency, percentages, and mean values were calculated, while Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess associations between categorical variables. A P-value of 0.05 or less was deemed statistically significant.
The majority of the patients were male (112, 97.4%), with an age of 31.95 ± 9.46 years (mean ± standard deviation (SD)). Among them, 67 (58.3%) had only primary school education. Methamphetamine was the most commonly used substance (52, 45.2%), followed by alcohol (28, 24.3%), opioids (13, 11.3%), and heroin (13, 11.3%). High rates of psychiatric comorbidities were observed, with 97 (84.3%) patients diagnosed with additional mental health conditions, such as depression and psychosis. Furthermore, 73 (63.5%) patients exhibited aggressive behaviors, and 33 (28.7%) had a forensic history. Significant associations were identified between aggression and factors such as educational level, occupation, psychiatric comorbidity, and forensic history.
The study highlights a pattern of poly-substance use among patients and the pressing need for comprehensive treatment strategies, including both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, to address the complex needs of individuals with substance use disorders in Erbil. These findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions and preventive measures to reduce substance misuse and improve patient outcomes.
物质使用问题日益受到关注，影响着个人和社区的健康、社会稳定及经济福祉。在伊拉克，尤其是埃尔比勒，关于物质使用障碍（SUDs）患者的社会人口学和临床特征的数据有限。本研究旨在确定霍勒精神病医院住院患者的这些特征，以便更好地了解该地区物质使用的概况及相关影响因素。
于2023年1月至2024年9月在霍勒精神病医院开展了一项回顾性研究。共查阅了115份有物质使用障碍诊断的患者记录。使用Microsoft Excel 2016（微软公司，华盛顿州雷德蒙德）和IBM SPSS Statistics 26版（IBM公司，纽约州阿蒙克）收集并分析了社会人口学详细信息、临床特征、使用的物质类型及合并症等数据。计算了频率、百分比和平均值，同时使用卡方检验和费舍尔精确检验评估分类变量之间的关联。P值小于或等于0.05被视为具有统计学意义。
大多数患者为男性（112例，97.4%），年龄为31.95±9.46岁（均值±标准差[SD]）。其中，67例（58.3%）仅有小学学历。甲基苯丙胺是最常用的物质（52例，45.2%），其次是酒精（28例，24.3%）、阿片类药物（13例，11.3%）和海洛因（13例，11.3%）。观察到较高的精神科合并症发生率，97例（84.3%）患者被诊断出患有其他心理健康状况，如抑郁症和精神病。此外，73例（63.5%）患者表现出攻击行为，33例（28.7%）有犯罪史。在攻击行为与教育程度、职业、精神科合并症和犯罪史等因素之间发现了显著关联。
该研究突出了患者中多物质使用的模式，以及迫切需要综合治疗策略，包括药物治疗和心理治疗，以满足埃尔比勒物质使用障碍患者的复杂需求。这些发现强调了针对性干预和预防措施对于减少物质滥用及改善患者结局的重要性。
