Substance Use and Mental Illness among Women Admitted in a Rehabilitation Center in Jos, Nigeria: A 5-Year Profile

Abstract

Substance use disorder are among the most common public health problems caused by using legal and/or illegal substances. Therefore, this study is aimed at reviewing a five-year profile of women admitted at a rehabilitation center in Jos, Nigeria for substance use and mental illness. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out on 183 females admitted between 2012 and 2017 at a rehabilitation center in Jos, Nigeria. Data collection was carried out from documents note of these female participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. The mean age of the participants was 38.515.3 years. Almost half of the participants were within the age bracket of 20 – 29 years and married (45.9%). Depressive disorder (36.1%) was the commonest mental disorder in the studied participants. Among those abusing substances, multiple substance use (12.6%) was the most prevalent with alcohol use disorder (9.3%) the main diagnosis among those with substance use disorder. According to the result almost half of the studied participants were young, married and educated females. Depression and multiple substance abuse with alcohol the main drug of abuse was a cause for concern in this population. This portrays significant health and economic consequences and the need for urgent action.

A Review of Mental Health Burden and Social Determinants of Mental Health Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Notwithstanding these factors, these ndings may help support the case for equal prioritisation of both adolescent girls and young women's mental needs. For instance, another study found the prevalence of depressive disorder in young women (ages 20 to 29) in a rehabilitation centre to be 36.1% in Nigeria [34]. The argument could be made that substance abuse increases the risk of mental health issues.…”