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.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brooner, R. K., Ing, V. L., Kidorf, M., Schmidt, C. W., & Bigelow, G. E. (1997). Psychiatric and substance use comorbidity among treatment-seeking opioid abusers. Archives of General Psychiatry, 54, 71–80.
Brown, S. A., Glasner-Edwards, S. V., Tate, S. R., McQuaid, J. R., Chalekian, J., & Granholm, E. (2006). Integrated cognitive behavioral therapy versus twelve-step facilitation therapy for substance-dependent adults with depressive disorders. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 38, 449–460.
Callaly, T., Trauer, T., Munro, L., & Whelan, G. (2001). Prevalence of psychiatric disorder in a methadone maintenance population. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35, 601–605.
Cerda, M., Sagdeo, A., & Galea, S. (2008). Comobid forms of psychopathology: key patterns and future research directions. Epidemiologic Reviews, 30, 155–177.
Chan, Y. F., Dennis, M. L., & Funk, R. R. (2008). Prevalence and comorbidity of major internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents and adults presenting to substance abuse treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 34, 14–24.
Chen, C.-K., Lin, S.-K., Sham, P., Ball, D., Loh, E.-W., & Murray, R. M. (2005). Morbid risk for psychiatric disorder among the relatives of methamphetamine users with and without psychosis. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B (Neuropsychiatric Genetics), 136B, 87–91.
Chen, W. J., Fang, C.-C., Shyu, R.-S., & Lin, K.-C. (2006). Underreporting of illicit drug use by patients at emergency departments as revealed by two-tiered urinalysis. Addictive Behaviors, 31, 2304–2308.
Chiang, S.-C., Chen, C.-Y., Chang, Y.-Y., Sun, H.-J., & Chen, W. J. (2007). Prevalence of heroin and methamphetamine male users in the northern Taiwan, 1999-2002: capture-recapture estimates. BMC Public Health, 7, 292.
Compton, W. M., Thomas, Y. F., Stinson, F. S., & Grant, B. F. (2007). Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM-IV drug abuse and dependence in the United States: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on alcohol and related conditions. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 566–576.
Connell, P. H. (1958). Amphetamine psychosis. London: Chapman and Hall Ltd..
Darke, S., Williamson, A., Ross, J., & Teesson, M. (2006). Reductions in heroin use are not associated with increases in other drug use: 2-year findings from the Australian treatment outcome study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 84, 201–205.
Ditton, P. M. (1999). Mental health treatment of inmates and probationers, In. Washington: U.S. Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics: Department of Justice.
Gossop, M., Marsden, J., Stewart, D., & Treacy, S. (2002). Change and stability of change after therapy of drug misuse: 2-year outcomes from the National Therapy Outcome Research Study (UK). Addictive Behaviors, 27, 155–166.
Hesse, M. (2009). Integrated psychological treatment for substance use and co-morbid anxiety or depression vs. treatment for substance use alone. A systematic review of the published literature. BMC Psychiatry, 9, 6.
Keyes, K. M., Martins, S. S., Hasin, D. S., Keyes, K. M., Martins, S. S., & Hasin, D. S. (2008). Past 12-month and lifetime comorbidity and poly-drug use of ecstasy users among young adults in the United States: results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on alcohol and related conditions. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 97, 139–149.
Kuo, K. N., Hsiao, M.-L., & Chien, C.-S. (2007). 2005 National Health Interview and drug abuse survey final report. No. 2 drug abuse survey. Miaoli County: National Health Research Institutes. (in Chinese)
Lee, N. K., & Rawson, R. A. (2008). A systematic review of cognitive and behavioral therapies for methamphetamine dependence. Drug and Alcohol Review, 27, 309–317.
Lee, T. S., Shen, H. C., Wu, W. H., Huang, C. W., Yen, M. Y., Wang, B. E., et al. (2011). Clinical characteristics and risk behavior as a function of HIV status among heroin users enrolled in methadone treatment in northern Taiwan. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 6, 6.
Lieb, R., Schuetz, C. G., Pfister, H., von Sydow, K., & Wittchen, H. (2002). Mental disorders in ecstasy users: a prospective-longitudinal investigation. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 68, 195–207.
Otsubo, T., Tanaka, K., Koda, R., Shinoda, J., Sano, N., Tanaka, S., et al. (2005). Reliability and validity of Japanese version of the mini-international neuropsychiatric interview. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 59, 517–526.
Raimo, E. B., & Schuckit, M. A. (1998). Alcohol dependence and mood disorders. Addictive Behaviors, 23, 933–946.
Ringen, P. A., Melle, I., Birkenaes, A. B., Engh, J. A., Faerden, A., Jonsdottir, H., et al. (2008). Illicit drug use in patients with psychotic disorders compared with that in the general population: a cross-sectional study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 117, 133–138.
Santucci, K. (2012). Psychiatric disease and drug abuse. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 24, 233–237.
Sareen, J., & Stein, M. (2000). A review of the epidemiology and approaches to the treatment of social anxiety disorder. Drugs, 59, 497–509.
Sareen, J., Chartier, M., Paulus, M. P., & Stein, M. B. (2006). Illicit drug use and anxiety disorders: findings from two community surveys. Psychiatry Research, 142, 11–17.
Sheehan, D. V., Lecrubier, Y., Sheehan, K. H., Amorim, P., Janavs, J., Weiller, E., et al. (1998). Mini-international neuropsychiatric interview (M.I.N.I.): the development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 59(suppl 20), 22–23.
Sher, L., Stanley, B. H., Harkavy-Friedman, J. M., Carballo, J. J., Arendt, M., Brent, D. A., et al. (2008). Depressed patients with co-occurring alcohol use disorders: a unique patient population. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 69, 907–915.
Stewart, D. (2009). Drug use and perceived treatment need among newly sentenced prisoners in England and Wales. Addiction, 104, 243–247.
Strang, J., Gossop, M., Heuston, J., Green, J., Whiteley, C., & Maden, A. (2006). Persistence of drug use during imprisonment: relationship of drug type, recency of use and severity of dependence to heroin, cocaine and amphetamine in prison. Addiction, 101, 1125–1132.
Taiwan Food and Drug Administration. (2009). Statistical distribution table of indiscriminate use from the reporting system in Taiwan psychiatric hospitals pharmaceuticals bulletin in. Taipei: TFDA, Ministry of Health and Walfare. (in Chinese)
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2015). World drug report 2015. United Nations publication, Sales No. E.15.XI.6.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS). (2005). Medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction in opioid treatment programs. In Treatment improvement protocol (TIP) series 43. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration/Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, DHHS publication no. (SMA) 054048. MD: Rockville.
World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), & Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). (2004). Substitution maintenance therapy in the management of opioid dependence and HIV/AIDS prevention: Position paper. Retrieved 16th March 2010 from http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/en/PositionPaper_English.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
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.
Additional information
Tony Szu-Hsien Lee and Hao-Jan Yang contributed equally to this work.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
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
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-016-9663-5