Clinical and social prognosis of methamphetamine abusers and organic solvent ones--comparisons with alcoholics
Okudaira, K.; Nagano, K.; Saito, A.; Yoshida, Y.; Kaneko, Y.; Shimizu, T.; Nakaoka, I.
Arukoru Kenkyu to Yakubutsu Izon 22(3): 234-239
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0389-4118 PMID: 3435276 Document Number: 303440
The authors reported here on the outcome, as of Dec. 1985, of the patients discharged from Kanagawa Prefectural Hospital SERIGAYAEN during the period from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1983. The patients consisted of 39 cases of methamphetamine abusers, 13 of organic solvent ones and 217 of alcoholics. We studied the prognosis of methamphetamine abusers and organic solvent ones in comparison with alcoholics. The results are brief summarized as follows. It was difficult to evaluate the prognosis of methamphetamine abusers, because unknown cases were as many as 59%. Limiting to informed cases, good prognosis group occupied 63%. The prognosis of organic solvent abusers was good as complete abstainer was 54% (63%, if unknown cases are excluded). The cases without previous reformatory admission seemed to reveal better prognosis than those with admission did. While the number of the complete abstainers of alcohol had been decreased along with the passage of the time after the discharge, those of the complete abstainers of methamphetamine and of organic solvent were unchanged or decreased slightly during the period of investigation. Methamphetamine abusers and organic solvent ones had better prognosis on mortality than alcoholics. Very rare cases among amphetamine abusers and organic solvent ones joined the self-help group (NA) after the discharge. So, we must make efforts much more from now on.