Prevalence of Co-Occurring Physical and Mental Health Problems in People with Drug Addiction in Pakistan

Abstract

Drug addiction is a relapsing, chronic disorder in which drug abusing and compulsive drug-seeking behaviors are prevalent. The objective of the research was to explore the prevalence of different types of drug addictions along with co-occurring physical and mental health problems. Since 2021, a team of Happy Life Psychological Services (HLPS), Pakistan has dealt with 6000 triages and 156 admissions. The sample of the study was 156 participants with drug addiction collected from February 2021 to January 2023. The outcome of the study reflected that male have higher number of drug addiction (78.8%) compared to females and the most common age of drug addiction is middle adults (67.9%). In people with drug addiction, the highly used drug was tobacco (23.41%), the most common mental health problem was anxiety disorders (28.62%), the most common medical comorbidity was Hepatitis B & C (50%), and they had higher level of suicidal thoughts (49.32%). The study recommends nationwide concerted actions to decline the illicit demands of drugs. Mass media, law enforcement, medical practitioners, local communities, NGOs, international agencies, and affected families are the possible stakeholders that should be included to make up strategies to manage the issue of drug addiction in Pakistan.