Psychiatric comorbidity in connection with the use of addictive substances in clients using the services of the Community Team for Prague 3 and 7, Fokus Praha, z.ú.
Abstract
The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity associated with the use of addictive substances (AS) among clients using the services of the Community Team for Prague 3 and 7, Fokus Praha, z.ú. (KoT 3,7 Fokus). The client database maintained by KoT 3,7 Fokus as of January 20, 2022 was used as a source of data for the analysis.
The clients' records were scrutinised for evidence of the intensive regular use of selected AS with a high risk of addiction most often used in the Czech Republic (alcohol, stimulants, and opioids). Furthemore, psychiatric comorbidity in clients using the selected AS was analysed according to the chapters of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) listed under blocks F00-F99 covering mental and behavioural disorders. 29% of the total number of 76 clients were found to be heavy regular users of the selected AS.
This concerns three categories of mental illnesses: F20-F29: Schizophrenia, schizotypal disorders, and delusional disorders, F30-F39: Affective (mood) disorders, and F60-F69: Personality and behavioural disorders in adults. While the F20-F29 block predominates among stimulant users (50%), the F30-F39 block is predominant among opioid and alcohol users (50% and 58%, respectively).
Our results show that more than a quarter of the clients who primarily use mental health services have problems with substance use involving a high risk of addiction. Extending the multidisciplinary team to include an expert in the field of addictions could be beneficial for streamlining the care and support provided to clients with a dual diagnosis.