Epidemiology of substance use disorders

The Epidemiology of Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Disorders

A descriptive epidemiology of substance use and substance use disorders in Nigeria during the early 21st century.

BACKGROUND Several studies have examined the use of psychoactive substances among selected groups in Nigeria. Here, we extend the description to include the features of substance dependence. METHOD A stratified multi-stage random sampling of households was used to select respondents in 21 of Nigeria's 36 states (representing 57% of the national population). In-person interviews with 6752 adul...

Comorbid mental disorders and substance use disorders: epidemiology, prevention and treatment

Comorbidity of substance use disorders and mental disorders is very common, and there is substantial heterogeneity within subgroups in terms of both their characteristics and the nature of causal relationships between the disorders. Assessment and management strategies need to deal with both the size of the problem across the community and its severe impact in some subgroups, including those wi...

Comorbid mental disorders and substance use disorders: epidemiology, prevention and treatment

Clinicians know this problem well. It is difficult to treat a person with schizophrenia whose psychotic symptoms are sometimes due to the psychosis and sometimes due to drug dependence. Likewise the combination of personality disorder and somatization disorder, or depression and anxiety, or any combination of the major groups of mental disorders produces more disability, makes the prognosis wor...

Comorbid mental disorders and substance use disorders: epidemiology, prevention and treatment

The aim of this chapter is to consider the question — Do prevention and early intervention programs for the major internalising (anxiety and depression) and externalising (behavioural) disorders in young people hold promise for reducing the incidence of substance use disorders in the community? The question is important for several reasons. First, substance use disorders represent a substantial...