Amphetamine Type Stimulants Use in the Adult Population of Tehran: Implications for Long Term Rehabilitation

Objectives: Dependence on Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) is a current health concern in Iran. The present study aimed to investigate the most needed treatment and rehabilitation services that a group of ATS-dependent patients in Tehran reported. Methods: The current study is part of the first cross-sectional survey of the prevalence of ATS dependence in Tehran. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. Overall, 6027 men and women in the general adult population of Tehran were interviewed. Overall, 261 participants were ATS-dependent. Of them, 35 participants were interviewed in this qualitative study. Atlas-ti software was used for qualitative data analysis in compliance with the Grounded Theory of Strauss and Corbin. Results: The mean age of the participants was 32 (SD=11) years (age range: 18-60 years). The mean year of the schooling was 8 (SD=9). The content analysis of interviews showed a series of needs including rehabilitation not only treatment, brief psychosocial treatments, family education and engagement in treatment and rehabilitation as well as after treatment services such as case management to help them to re-integrate into society respectively. Discussion: The study results indicated that ATS dependence demands a combination of treatment and rehabilitation services. This concern demands long-term planning, designing and training, which should be considered by health service providers. Further studies are needed to determine which treatment or rehabilitation programme may work best for this group of drug-dependent people.