Abstract:

The prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) is increasing in the world and in our country. The most important centers in the treatment of SUD in Turkey are Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment and Research Centres (AMATEM). In this study, we aimed to investigate the substance use characteristics of the patients who were hospitalized in our hospital. Method: The study was conducted as a retrospective study of AMATEM admissions between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. Data such as gender, age and substance use characteristics were obtained from the patient recording system. Results: Forty-two male patients (91.3%) and 4 (8.7%) female patients were included in the study. The average age of the patients was 28.43±10.64 years. There were 10 patients (21. 7%) with opiate use disorder (OUD), 14 patients (30.4%) with cannabis use disorder (CUD), 12 (26.1%) patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), 3 (6.5%) patients with stimulant use disorder (SIUD), and 7 (15.2%) patients with inhalant use disorder (IUD). The average age of AUD was significantly higher than the other groups (p=0.010). The average duration of hospitalization was 7.63±7.01 days (p=0.073). The average number of hospitalizations was 2.78±2.61 (p=0.874). The average duration of substance use was 9.67±8.73 years. The duration of substance use was significantly higher in the AUD group (p=0.001). Thirty-six (78.3%) of all patients had a forensic history. Twenty-one (45.7%) of the patients needed hibernation. Ten (21.7%) of the patients had suicide attempt history. Twenty-eight of 60 9% of the patients had homicidal behavior. Psychotic symptoms were present in 15 (32.6%) patients. Homicidal behavior was significantly higher in patients with forensic history (p=0.024). The forensic history was significantly lower in the AUD group than in the other diagnoses (p=0.009). SUD was accompanied by additional psychiatric symptoms. It was clearly related to crime. Further studies are needed to develop more robust strategies.