1. Drug treatment presentations at a treatment centre in southern Nigeria (2015-2018): Findings and implications for policy and practice.
- Author
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James BO, Olotu SO, Ayilara OO, Arigbede OO, Anozie GI, Ogiku HO, Ariyo JO, Efiong V, Adeyelu AO, Oni MA, and Odu DO
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Age Distribution, Alcoholism epidemiology, Alcoholism rehabilitation, Child, Comorbidity trends, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Hospitals, Psychiatric, Humans, Length of Stay statistics & numerical data, Length of Stay trends, Male, Marijuana Abuse epidemiology, Mental Disorders rehabilitation, Middle Aged, Nigeria epidemiology, Patients psychology, Risk Factors, Sex Distribution, Socioeconomic Factors, Substance-Related Disorders epidemiology, Substance-Related Disorders psychology, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult, Illicit Drugs adverse effects, Mental Disorders epidemiology, Patients statistics & numerical data, Substance-Related Disorders therapy
- Abstract
Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that rates of drug use and abuse in Nigeria exceed the global average. There is a strong treatment demand for psychoactive drug use disorders in Nigeria; however, it is not known whether available treatment facilities are attending to the array of treatment needs. This audit compares the pattern of presentations at a tertiary facility with a community-based survey., Methods: A review of cases (n = 212) seen at a regional drug treatment facility over a 4-year period, using local data retrieved from the Nigerian Epidemiological Network of Drug Use (NENDU) and comparison with data from the recently published national drug use survey., Results: Nine out of ten clients seen were male (93.4%). About half (49.5%) of the clients used psychoactive substances for the first time between ages 10 and 19 years. Cannabis was the primary drug of use overall and also among males, while females were more likely to present with opiate abuse. Over half had a co-occurring physical or mental disorder, and a minority had received testing for hepatitis C in the past 12 months., Conclusion: Although patterns of drug abuse presentations were consistent with findings from a national community-based survey, there was an under-representation of females in treatment. Implications for policy development and practice are discussed., Competing Interests: None
- Published
- 2019
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