Psychoactive substance use is a major public health issue globally. Studies worldwide suggest that the prevalence of substance use among undergraduates may be on the rise. This study aimed at determining the prevalence, pattern and associated factors of substance use among students in a university in Southwestern Nigeria. The WHO Student Drug Use questionnaire was used to assess for drug use among final year students, while psychological distress was evaluated with GHQ 12. Lifetime prevalence of any psychoactive substance use was 78%. The prevalence of alcohol, cannabis and inhalant was significantly more in males. The prevalence of alcohol use was significantly lower among students who reported frequent participation in religious activities. There was a significant relationship between tobacco, cannabis use and psychological distress. The prevalence of psychoactive substance is high among university students. There is urgent need for adequate screening, assessment and treatment of substance use disorder amongst these students.

No abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and correlates of anxiety and depression among caregivers of children with seizure disorders. Methods: Two hundred and two caregivers of children with seizure disorders were administered socio-demographic questionnaires at the Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic between October 2011 and March 2012. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis 1 Diagnosis (SCID) was used for diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depression. Results: One hundred and forty six (72%) of the carers were females, with mothers of patients accounting for 66% of respondents. The prevalence of generalized anxiety among the respondents was 12%, while that of major depressive disorder was 50.5%. The socio-demographic characteristics of carers associated with psychiatric morbidity included older age range (χ 2 =18.67, p=0.001), being employed (χ 2 =10.41, p=0.015), longer duration of care (χ 2 =18.07, p=0.001) and being patients' mother (χ 2 =10.17, p=0.032). Conclusion: Depression and anxiety are common among caregivers of children with seizure disorders. Caregivers' socio-demographic characteristics and patients' clinical variables are associated with prevalence of anxiety and depression. These findings suggest the need to adopt a holistic approach to the detection of these disorders and developing adequate intervention for these caregivers.

Background: Despite several studies on the prevalence and pattern of substance use in Nigeria, there is little information on substance use in patients diagnosed with serious mental illness (SMI) such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder (BD).Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the pattern of psychoactive substance use among outpatients with BD and schizophrenia.Setting: The study was conducted in a neuropsychiatric hospital in Nigeria.Methods: Seventy five consecutive patients with a MINI-PLUS diagnosis of BD were compared with an equal number of patients obtained by systematic random sampling with a MINI-PLUS diagnosis of schizophrenia.Results: The respondents with schizophrenia were aged 18–59 years (37.2 ± 9.99) and were predominantly young adult (49, 65.3%), men (46, 61.3%), who were never married (38, 50.7%). Overall, lifetime drug use prevalence was 52%, while for current use, overall prevalence was 21.3%. Participants with BD were aged 18–63 years (36.7 ± 10.29) and were predominantly young adult (53, 70.7%), women (44, 58.7%), who were married (32, 42.7%), with tertiary education (31, 41.3%). Overall, lifetime drug use prevalence was 46.7%, while current overall prevalence was 17.3%. These rates (lifetime and current) for both diagnostic groups are higher than what was reported by the World Health Organization in the global status report of 2014 (0% – 16%). The statistically significant difference between the two diagnostic groups was related to their sociodemographic and clinical variables and psychoactive substance use.Conclusion: Psychoactive substance use remains a burden in the care of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and BD. Future policies should incorporate routine screening for substance use at the outpatient department with a view to stemming the tide of this menace.

Background: Pregnancy is a dynamic time during which a woman’s emotional state may undergo extensive change. There have been conflicting views about the magnitude of emotional turmoil that occurs during pregnancy. Some investigators suggest that pregnancy is a time of particularly good psychological adjustment; others have reported high levels of psychological challenge.Aim: Our study aimed to compare the prevalence and correlates of depression in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy and to determine the relationship between quality of life and depressive disorder.Setting: The antenatal clinic of the State Hospital, Ijaiye.Method: A descriptive, comparative study of depressive disorder and the quality of life between first- and third-trimester pregnant women (confirmed through a pregnancy test and an abdominopelvic ultrasound).Result: For each trimester, 285 participants were recruited. The prevalence of depression among the pregnant women who participated in the study was 7.2%. In the first trimester of pregnancy, the prevalence of depression was 30 (10.5%), while it was 11 (3.9%) in the third trimester of pregnancy. Collectively, the relationship between depression and QoL was significant in the overall domain, satisfaction with general health domain (t = 2.27; p = 0.03), psychological domain (t = 2.74; p = 0.010, and environmental domain (t = 4.57; p ≤ 0.01).Conclusion: Our study also highlights the need to pay closer attention to the psychological well-being and quality of life of all pregnant women and not just on their physical health and the baby’s well-being.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract