Psychological Morbidity among Psychoactive Substance Users in a Rehabilitation Centre in Nigeria

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of anxiety and depression among psychoactive substance users in a rehabilitation centre.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in a rehabilitation centre in Lagos state, Nigeria.

Methodology: All the inhabitants of the centre who agreed to participate in the study were included in the study. However, individuals who had stayed at the centre for less than a week were excluded from the study because the effect of use or withdrawal effects of some of the drugs may mimic depressive or anxiety symptoms. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) (anxiety modules) were used to asses for depression and anxiety disorder respectively.

Results: A total of seventy six people participated in this study. Their ages ranged from 17 to 52 years (mean= 25.9 years SD= 8.4). A high number of the subjects were males (72.4%), single (78.7%) and unemployed (64.5%). Almost all the subjects (92.1%) were introduced to the use of psychoactive substances by friends/peers. Only 4 (5.3%) subjects reported injection drug use (IDU). 53.9% of the subjects had an anxiety disorder. While 68.4% had depression. The factors associated with having anxiety disorder were female sex, older age, being divorced/ separated/widowed, unemployment, multiple substance use, long duration of use of alcohol, cocaine and heroin.

Factors associated with depression included; young age of onset of substance use, female sex, being separated or divorced or widowed, unemployment, long duration/ frequency of use of substances and multiple substance use.

Conclusion: This study has shown that there is a high rate of anxiety and depression among psychoactive substance users.