Epidemiology of dependence on illicit substances, with a special focus on opioid dependence, in the State of Punjab, India: Results from two different yet complementary survey methods

Basu, Debasish; Subodh, BN; Gupta, Pramod Kumar; Goyal, Babita; Sidhu, Balwant Singh; Gargi, Parshotam D; Sharma, Arvind; Ghosh, Abhishek

doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2018.12.008

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…More disturbingly, heroin has replaced the natural opioids (opium and poppy husk) as the most commonly abused opioids. A large scale epidemiological study from Punjab also concurred with this finding20. The uses of other synthetic drugs and cocaine have also increased significantly.…”

Section: Drug Abuse In India: Current and Future Challengessupporting

confidence: 63%

Drug misuse in India: Where do we stand & where to go from here?

Ghosh

2019

Indian J Med Res

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Section: Drug Abuse In India: Current and Future Challengessupporting

confidence: 63%

Drug misuse in India: Where do we stand & where to go from here?

Ghosh

2019

Indian J Med Res

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“…[ 7 ] and Avasthi et al . [ 41 ] similarly found “fun”/“pleasure” (70%) and “peer pressure” (43%) to be the most common reason for starting substances. The least common reason was “depression” in both groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Presenting Pattern and Psychiatric Comorbidities in Rural versus Urban Substance Dependent Patients: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Bansal,

Saini,

Bansal

et al. 2023

Indian Journal of Community Medicine

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Background: “Locality” is a significant factor in substance initiation, maintenance, and relapse. The pattern of substance dependence among rural and urban populations varies across studies and is scarcely studied, warranting further research. To compare presenting patterns (sociodemographic and drug-related variables), reasons for substance use, and psychiatric comorbidities (prevalence, type, and severity) between rural and urban substance-dependent groups. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analytical study in a government de-addiction center, including rural and urban patient groups aged 18–65. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) criteria, and severity of dependence scale were used for diagnosing substance dependence. After detoxification, psychiatric comorbidity was assessed using brief psychiatric rating scale, Young’s mania rating scale, and patient health questionnaire – somatic, anxiety, and depression symptoms scale. Post-analysis was performed to assess socioeconomic variables and access to de-addiction services. Results: The final sample was 500 (250 rural and 250 urban). The post-analysis sample size was 386 (211 rural and 175 urban). The mean age was 38.2 ± 12.4 years, mostly males (n = 495, 99%). Substance frequency was opioids (92%)> benzodiazepines (24.8%) > alcohol (22%) > cannabis (1.6%) for rural and opioids (91.2%) > alcohol (29.6%) > benzodiazepines (14.8%) > cannabis (2%) for urban patients. More than half of patients had comorbid nicotine dependence. Rural patients were more benzodiazepine dependent (P = 0.007), and urban were more opioid + alcohol dependent (P = 0.001). Rural patients had higher age (P = 0.012), less education (P < 0.001), positive family history of substance (P = 0.028), daily wagers, and farmers (P < 0.001) than urban patients who were younger, students (P = 0.002), businessmen and government employed (P < 0.001). Urban patients expended more on drugs (P < 0.001), had higher treatment attempts (P = 0.008), and had better availability and accessibility of de-addiction services (P < 0.001). More rural users initiated substances to “enhance performance,” whereas urban ones initiated for “stress relief/novelty” (P < 0.001). For treatment seeking, “External pressure” was a more common reason in urban patients (P < 0.001), who also had more psychiatric comorbidities (P = 0.026). Conclusion: Significant pattern differences exist between rural and urban substance dependents, warranting emphasis on locality-specific factors for appropriate intervention.

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“…Therefore, we decided to include only males in the present study due to practical considerations and to avoid skewed data. 21 The relationship between the amount or dose of daily opioid use and the neuropsychological functions could not be assessed due to difficulty in converting different forms of natural, as well as synthetic and semisynthetic opioids being used by study participants in terms of comparable equivalent dose of opioid. Lastly, we cannot rule out the possibility of practice effects contributing toward the improvement seen in neuropsychological performance over the course of 3 assessments due to absence of a control group in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, virtually the entire treatment-seeking population (99.8%) belonged to male gender in another study conducted among patients with OUD from the same study region. Therefore, we decided to include only males in the present study due to practical considerations and to avoid skewed data 21 . The relationship between the amount or dose of daily opioid use and the neuropsychological functions could not be assessed due to difficulty in converting different forms of natural, as well as synthetic and semisynthetic opioids being used by study participants in terms of comparable equivalent dose of opioid.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Abstinence From Opioid on Neuropsychological Performance in Men With Opioid Use Disorder: A Longitudinal Study

et al. 2023

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Objectives: Impairments in neuropsychological functioning (mainly memory, learning, attention, and executive functioning) among persons with long-term opioid use disorder (OUD) have been widely reported, with few studies suggesting that these are not permanent and can improve with abstinence. Thus, present study aimed to evaluate the neuropsychological functioning in persons with OUD and examine the effects of abstinence on the same over a period 8 weeks. Methods: A total of 50 patients with diagnosis of OUD as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria underwent serial longitudinal neuropsychological assessments for executive functioning, attention and concentration, and verbal and nonverbal memory at baseline, 2 weeks, and 8 weeks of abstinence. Results: The mean performance scores representative of attention, concentration, verbal memory, and nonverbal memory showed significant improvement in the initial 2 weeks, and executive functioning showed significant improvement by 8 weeks of abstinence (all P's < 0.01). A significant negative correlation was found between the duration of opioid use and performance on verbal memory tests (0.014), the frequency of intake per day and performance on nonverbal memory and executive functioning tests, and the severity of opioid dependence and performance on nonverbal memory test (0.019). Conclusions: Neuropsychological functioning in certain domains was associated with the duration of opioid use, the frequency of daily opioid intake, and the severity of opioid dependence among persons with OUD at baseline. It showed significant improvement in domains of attention, concentration, verbal and nonverbal memory, and executive functions over a period of 8 weeks of abstinence.

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Epidemiology of dependence on illicit substances, with a special focus on opioid dependence, in the State of Punjab, India: Results from two different yet complementary survey methods

Cited by 15 publications

References 13 publications

Drug misuse in India: Where do we stand & where to go from here?

Drug misuse in India: Where do we stand & where to go from here?

Presenting Pattern and Psychiatric Comorbidities in Rural versus Urban Substance Dependent Patients: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Effects of Abstinence From Opioid on Neuropsychological Performance in Men With Opioid Use Disorder: A Longitudinal Study

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