Substance use amongst adult patients admitted to an irish acute mental health unit

Autor: A. Duggan, N. Murray, S. Buckley, G. Lalevic
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: European Psychiatry, Vol 64, Pp S566-S566 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 0924-9338
1778-3585
DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.1510
Popis: Introduction Comorbid substance misuse in mental illness presents a significant challenge to mental health services. It may lead to higher rates of relapse, hospital admissions and poorer treatment outcomes. Up to 47% of inpatients in Irish mental health units may experience substance misuse. Despite the Irish government’s ‘Vision for Change’ policy (2006), access to specialised services remains variable. Objectives Evaluate: -prevalence of substance misuse at an Irish mental health unit. -quality and detail of the recorded substance misuse history. -access to specialised services for patients experiencing substance misuse. Methods A retrospective chart review of inpatients in a mental health unit over 12 months, was completed. Information recorded included: demographic details, diagnosis, substance use history; access to substance misuse services. Microsoft Excel was utilised for data input and analysis. Results 267 patients were admitted over twelve months. Substance misuse was the primary diagnosis of 6% and the secondary diagnosis of 67%. 46% of patients reported current substance misuse, 52% reported historical substance misuse. Frequency and quantity of use was documented in 65% and 48% of cases respectively. 4% of patients with a substance misuse history were in current contact with addiction services. Conclusions Although 46% of patients reported substance misuse, only 4% were in contact with specialised addiction services. This highlights a significant unmet need. There was variability in the quality of the recorded substance misuse history. In order to fully understand comorbid substance misuse, this be addressed. The addition of a more formatted substance misuse section, to admission proformas, may help to alleviate this issue.
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