Psychiatric comorbidity in people who inject drugs

Stephen H. Dinwiddie*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Any lifetime history of injection drug use (IDU) is associated with markedly elevated rates of addiction to alcohol and other substances on a lifetime basis. In this population, substance use tends to manifest early in life, as do conduct problems such as school disciplinary problems, theft, fighting, and juvenile arrest. Many people who inject drugs will ultimately merit a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. Rates of depressive illness and anxiety disorders are also high in this population, and IDU is associated with high rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and completed suicide. The severity of social, medical, and psychiatric disability in this population poses significant treatment challenges.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)27-32
Number of pages6
JournalPsychiatric Annals
Volume47
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatry and Mental health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Psychiatric comorbidity in people who inject drugs'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this