Prevalence of psychoactive substance use among psychiatric in-patients in Harare, Zimbabwe
Acuda, S.W.; Sebit, M.B.
Central African Journal of Medicine 43(8): 226-229
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-9176 PMID: 9431760 Document Number: 478876
To determine the prevalence of psychoactive substance use among psychiatric in-patients in Harare. A cross sectional study that was conducted in 1994. Harare Central Hospital Psychiatric Unit. A total of 194 consecutively admitted patients to Harare Central Hospital Psychiatric Unit, aged from 16 to 55 years with a mean (SD) age of 33.5 (11.4) years. The psychiatric diagnoses were made according to the ICD10 diagnostic criteria, while the substance abuse was evaluated by the modified WHO AUDIT core questionnaire, which was translated into the Shona language. The point prevalence rate of psychoactive substance abuse among the psychiatric in-patients were alcohol 28.4% (95% CI = 22.1, 34.7), tobacco 27.6% (95% CI = 18.7, 36.5) and cannabis 14.3% (95% CI = 7.4, 21.2). The data have provided scientific evidence on the moderate prevalence and pattern of substance abuse among psychiatric patients in Zimbabwe.