Psychiatric comorbidity and gender differences of persons incarcerated for methamphetamine abuse in Taiwan.
Methamphetamine (MAP) abuse has been common in Taiwan for the past decade. The purpose of the present study was to investigate MAP abuse in Taiwan, with specific attention to psychiatric comorbidity and gender differences. A total of 325 MAP abuse subjects (180 male, 145 female) from a detention center in Taipei were assessed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies. The following were studied: drug use behavior, treatment-seeking behavior, lifetime prevalence of mood disorders, MAP psychosis, alcohol use disorders, pathological gambling and antisocial personality. The MAP-abuse subjects in Taiwan had high psychiatric morbidity and low access to mental health services. There also exist certain differences in the prevalence of psychiatric illnesses and treatment-seeking behavior between male and female subjects. Compared with their male counterparts, more female subjects reported experience of mental disturbance and experience of psychiatric treatment. The female subjects more commonly reported suicidal behaviors than the male subjects.
Lin
Shih-Ku
SK
Department of Addiction Science, Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ball
David
D
Hsiao
Cheng-Cheng
CC
Chiang
Yuan-Lin
YL
Ree
Shao-Chun
SC
Chen
Chih-Ken
CK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008694:Methamphetamine; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013624:Taiwan
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008694:Methamphetamine