Substance dependence and mental health in northern Iran

Background: Today, substance dependence and illegal trading of narcotics is considered as a global issue. Since mental disorder has been reported in about 90% of the substance dependents, this study aimed at determining the rate of mental health in the substance dependents in Sari Township in 2011. Materials and Methods: In this study, 500 substance-dependent patients were selected using convenience sampling method. To collect data, SCL-90-R was used for the evaluation of their mental health and a demographic questionnaire was employed for identifying their personal information. The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics using the SPSS software. Results: It was found that 90.4% of the participants were susceptible to mental disorder. Most of them suffered from depression, psychoticism, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, and paranoia. Also, there was significant relationship between the mental health of single, divorced and married addicts (P < 0.21). Conclusion: Due to the presence of mental disorder in the substance-dependent patients, it is recommended to help treat them by providing them with education, psychotherapy, and psychiatric medication.