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Overdose in young people using heroin: associations with mental health, prescription drug use and personal circumstances
Author(s) -
Burns Jane M,
Martyres Raymond F,
Clode Danielle,
Boldero Jennifer M
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06351.x
Subject(s) - medical prescription , heroin , psychiatry , medicine , mental health , drug overdose , mental illness , feeling , psychological intervention , poison control , suicide prevention , drug , psychology , medical emergency , pharmacology , social psychology
Objective: To identify patterns of mental health, prescription drug use and personal circumstances associated with heroin overdose in young people. Design: Linkage of data on use of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescription drugs with data from a self‐report questionnaire. Setting: Inner metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Subjects: 163 young people, 15–30 years, using heroin. Main outcome measures: Personal circumstances, mental health (as measured by various scales), and PBS‐listed prescription drug use. Results: Young people using heroin reported high rates of feelings of hopelessness, depression, antisocial behaviour, self‐harm and diagnosed mental illness. A prior history of overdose was associated with previous mental illness, which in turn was associated with being female, having poor social support, being dissatisfied with relationships, and living alone or in temporary accommodation. While feelings of hopelessness and antisocial behaviour were strongly associated with overdose history, the number of PBS prescription drugs used had a very strong relationship with overdose, particularly benzodiazepines, other opioids, tricyclic antidepressants and tranquillisers. Conclusions: Further research to explore causal relationships between prescription drugs and heroin overdose is warranted. Improved data linkage to PBS records for general practitioners may facilitate safer prescribing practices.