The Pattern of Substance Abuse in the Psychiatry Department of a Tertiary Care of Srinagar Hospital, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Substance-use related disorders (SUD) are a major public health concern worldwide, especially in developing nations. Currently, it is characterized by high rates of mortality and morbidity. Moreover, through increased utilization of healthcare services, it causes both direct and indirect significant medical expenditures.

The current study aimed to evaluate the pattern of Substance abuse in the department of psychiatry of a Tertiary Care Hospital, Srinagar, Jammu, and Kashmir, India.

This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and open study conducted in the psychiatry inpatient department of a tertiary care hospital, Srinagar, Jammu, and Kashmir, India, for 7 months (January to May 2020).

Over a period of seven months, a total of 135 participants were recruited (105 males and 30 females). Most of them were Muslim (96.29%), married (68.14%), and living as a nuclear family (75.55%). Tobacco (Nicotine) was the most commonly used substance by those admitted to the psychiatry ward (62.96%), followed by cannabis (11.11%) and opioids (11.11%). The most comorbidity associated with substance abuse was psychiatric disorders (36.84%), followed by neurological disorders (21.05%), and gastrointestinal disorders (7.89%). Among those with psychiatric disorders, 14 (10.37%) had mood (bipolar) disorders. A total of 1129 medicines were prescribed for 135 patients. The mean ± standard error of the mean (SEM) of the prescribed medicines was 8.48 ± 3.3. The average number of drugs per encounter was 8.48%.

In this study, cigarette smoking (nicotine) was the most commonly abused substance. It can be justified by the fact that Kashmir is a conflict zone, and many people suffer from the post-traumatic stress disorder. Hence, a collaborated effort is necessary to improve the prescribing pattern and to enhance the rational use of medications for better treatment outcomes.