Volume 8 Issue 2 (March – April, 2022)

Original Articles

Sociodemographic profile, and pattern of opioid use, in patients with opioid use disorders
Abhinav Aditya, Meenakshi Rana

Background: The present study was conducted for assessing the sociodemographic profile, and pattern of opioid use, in patients with opioid use disorders. Materials & methods: A total of 100 subjects were enrolled. All the patients with a diagnosis of opioid use disorder made as per the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-5 (DSM-5) diagnostic guidelines and treated on both inpatient and outpatient basis were considered. A thorough clinical assessment was done to diagnose opioid use disorder at first encounter with the patient, and the second assessment for psychiatric comorbidity was also done in the study population using DSM-5 diagnostic guidelines after detoxification. Both diagnosis, opioid use disorder and psychiatric disorder (if present) were confirmed by consultant psychiatrist. A semi-structured pro forma was used to assess the sociodemographic status and pattern of opioid use among the patients included in the study. All the results were analysed using SPSS software. Results: Out of 100 patients, 53 percent belonged to the age group of less than 20 years. 68 percent of the subjects were males while the remaining were females. In 77 percent of the subjects, the type of family was nuclear. 41 percent of the subjects were of middle class while 38 percent of the subjects were of lower class according to modified kuppuswamy scale. History of drug overdose was seen in 39 percent of the patients. In 41 percent of the patients, type of opioid use was heroin while in 21 percent of the patients, it was tramadol. Route of opioid use was oral, intravenous and inhalation in 32 percent, 35 percent and 33 percent of the patients respectively. Conclusion: A relatively young age group is involved in opioid addiction and, therefore, many years of their productive life are lost in substance abuse.

 
Html View | Download PDF | Current Issue