Mental disorders and the course of opiate dependence

The present study investigates the hypothesis of a relationship between men tal disorders and symptoms on the one hand and the extent of drug consumpti on and the addiction-related problems of opiate dependents on the other han d. Methods: In a five-year follow-up study in Hamburg among 350 opiate depe ndents who, at the time of the initial survey, were in contact with the dru g help system, 219 clients (63%) could be interviewed at Iso far) three dif ferent times of investigation. Standardised questionnaires like the EoropAS I, CIDI, SCL-90-R, STAI and BDI were used for the interviews. Results: The general life situation of the surveyed persons has on the whole improved in the course of the last two to three years. Also the average drug consumpti on clearly decreased. Between mental disorders/disturbances and drug depend ence or drug-related problems, a linear correlation could be found: An unfa vourable course of mental disorders and symptoms correlates with a problema tic current life situation of the client. There is also a global relationsh ip between increased drug consumption and the emergence of mental symptoms like depressiveness and anxiety and the psychosocial functional level. Conc lusions: The expected relationship between mental disturbances and the exte nt of drug consumption is not very marked. This is in support of the basic assumption that specific constellations of drug consumption and mental diso rders do not exist isolated, but that they are related, as elements of a co mplex pattern, to the development of other areas of life.