Abstract
This study aimed to explore the extent of association between the classes and patterns (single vs. multiple) of drug use and the psychiatric disorders among recently incarcerated male drug users to help formulate drug policies for correctional facilities and provide adequate treatment for incarcerated drug users. Data were recruited from 414 male first-time incarcerated illicit drug users in one detention center in Taiwan. Their lifetime historical profiles of illicit drug use were then assessed and their associations with current psychiatric disorders were compared with 257 community controls. Heroin and meth/amphetamine were the most commonly used drugs among single and combined users. Heroin users were more likely to exhibit major depression and social phobia; meth/amphetamine users showed more psychotic disorder and antisocial personality disorder than community controls. Multiple drug users were associated with two-thirds of the psychiatric disorders. This study suggests that heroin and meth/amphetamine users require specific treatments, which may effectively address associated psychopathologic conditions. Interventions for mental disorders for some detainees are also recommended.
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All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5).
Role of Funding Sources
Both NBCD and NSC had no roles in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, preparation of the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Contributors
The authors would like to thank the detainees and staffs of TTDC who took part in the survey. We would also like to acknowledge Dr. Chuan-Yu Chen for her critical suggestions of the manuscript and the Taiwanese Society of Psychiatry for permitting our use of the Chinese version of the MINI.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.
Conflict of Interest
Te-Jen Lai, Mei-Hsin Su, Tony Szu-Hsien Lee and Hao-Jan Yang declare that they have no conflicts of interests.
Funding
This study was partly funded by the former National Bureau of Controlled Drugs, Department of Health (DOH94-NNB-1013) and the former National Science Council (NSC94–2815-C-040-010-B), Taipei, Taiwan.
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Tony Szu-Hsien Lee and Hao-Jan Yang contributed equally to this work.
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Lai, TJ., Su, MH., Lee, T.SH. et al. Mental Health Problems in Recently Incarcerated Male Adult Drug Users in Taiwan: Patterns, Rates, and Implications for Treatment. Int J Ment Health Addiction 15, 40–52 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-016-9663-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-016-9663-5