الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 209 |  |  |
| | | from | 209 | | |
Abstract
Methamphetamine use is markedly increasing worldwide. That widespread isn’t limited to high income countries, it’s also evidently in developing and low-income countries, including Africa. According to a recent study, about 10% of adolescents aged 15–19 years reported lifetime use of MA, and 4.4% reported past-year use. MA use is associated with various negative consequences, such as physical, mental, and social problems, as well as increased risk of HIV infection. According to a United States study, using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in patients with methamphetamine use disorder is (34%-48.1%). Clinical effect of methamphetamine is done by increasing monoamine centrally therefore potentiate sympathetic system, causing both psychiatric and physical manifestations.
This study objectives were to assess the rate of methamphetamine use in adolescent patients in a clinical sample, to assess the severity of methamphetamine use disorder among adolescent patients, to assess the rate of psychiatric comorbidity among adolescent patients using methamphetamine, and to assess the relation between the severity of methamphetamine use disorder and psychiatric comorbidities among adolescent patients.
This cross-sectional observational study was done at adolescent addiction clinic at Helwan Mental Health Hospital, Egypt. It serves catchment area of Cairo, New Cairo and Giza., within the period between January 2024 till June 2024. Patients were recruited according to their complaints and history in their medical records, their age was between 12 to 18 years, only male patients were invited to participate in this study.
All patients were recruited according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria after informed written consent was obtained. The total number of patients included in this study was 100 patients with substance use disorder. Three patients refused to participate. Hence only patients who agreed were included in this study, the total number of patients included in this study was 100 patients. Subjects were assessed using Semi-Structured Sheet to collect data (including full history taking, personal history, history of present illness, past history, psychiatric history, family history as well as medical history) based on the Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University sheet. Substance use disorder (SUD) and psychiatric comorbidities were diagnosed according to The MINI-KID, and the severity of SUD was assessed by the Teen Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI).
As regard demographic data, the mean age of the participants was 15.77 years. The majority of adolescents lived in rural areas (60%) and came from low socioeconomic backgrounds (74%). Educationally, 31% were illiterate, and 30% were at the preparatory level. Most participants were students (55%), with 39% employed and 6% unemployed. Nearly half had parents who were living together (48%). Additionally, 86% of the participants identified as believers but were non-practicing.
The mean age of onset for substance use was 13.43 years. A small proportion of participants (5%) had a family history of psychiatric disorders, whereas a significant majority (62%) had a family history of substance use disorder (SUD). Among the main substances used, cannabinoids were the most prevalent (53%), followed by synthetic cannabinoids (22%) and methamphetamine (19%). Generally, amongst the used Substances, cannabinoids were again the most commonly used (96%), followed by alcohol (38%), synthetic cannabinoids (33%) and Methamphetamine (23%).
The mean daily dose of methamphetamine used was 0.54 grams. Inhalation was the most common route of administration, reported by 84.2% of users and 15.8% for injection. Most participants had started using methamphetamine either less than three months ago or more than one year ago (31.6% each). The majority of users consumed methamphetamine at home (57.9%). The primary reasons for use were to novelty seeking and curiosity (26.3% each), followed by peer pressure (21.1%). Only 21.1% of participants had a history of overdose, and 42.1% had attempted to abstain from methamphetamine. Despite these attempts, the majority (78.9%) had no previous history of admission for treatment.
The MINI-KID scale results for methamphetamine users revealed that 42.1% of the users did not show any comorbid psychiatric disorders. Among those with comorbid conditions, conduct disorder was the most prevalent at 36.8%. Other disorders included psychotic disorder (10.5%), depressive disorder (5.3%), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (5.3%).
The Teen Addiction Severity Index revealed that methamphetamine users encountered significant problems across multiple domains, including substance use, school, employment/support, family, peer/social interactions, and psychiatric areas, with all areas showing highly statistically significant differences (P<0.001) except for legal problems, which were statistically significant to a lesser degree (P=0.016).
There were statistically significant positive correlations between psychiatric comorbidities assessed by the MINI-KID and problems in the legal and psychiatric domains on the T-ASI. Adolescents with multiple psychiatric disorders are likely to face more complex and severe issues that spill over into their legal and overall psychiatric well-being. For example, conditions such as conduct disorder or severe mood disorders might lead to behaviors that increase legal troubles, while also intensifying the severity of psychiatric symptoms.