Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-hfldf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-18T14:29:32.347Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Substance use, health and social problems of service users at 54 drug treatment agencies

Intake data from the National Treatment Outcome Research Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Michael Gossop ,
John Marsden ,
Duncan Stewart ,
Petra Lehmann ,
Carolyn Edwards ,
Alison Wilson  and
Graham Segar
Michael Gossop*
Affiliation:
NTORS, National Addiction Centre, London
John Marsden
Affiliation:
NTORS, National Addiction Centre, London
Duncan Stewart
Affiliation:
NTORS, National Addiction Centre, London
Petra Lehmann
Affiliation:
NTORS, National Addiction Centre, London
Carolyn Edwards
Affiliation:
NTORS, National Addiction Centre, London
Alison Wilson
Affiliation:
NTORS, National Addiction Centre, London
Graham Segar
Affiliation:
NTORS, National Addiction Centre, London
*
Dr M. Gossop, NTORS, National Addiction Centre, 4 Windsor Walk. London SE5 8AF
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

The National Treatment Outcome Research Study (NTORS) is the first large-scale, prospective, multi-site treatment outcome study of drug users in the UK.

Method

Substance use, health and social problems of 1075 service users were assessed at intake to 54 agencies chosen to be representative of the main national drug treatment modalities.

Results

Heroin dependence was the most frequently reported problem often with poly-drug and alcohol problems. Most service users injected drugs and & quarter of the injectors shared injecting equipment. Poly-drug use and heavy drinking were more common among service users admitted to residential treatments. High criminality rates were reported Psychological and physical health problems were common and many service users had prior contact with psychiatric and medical services.

Conclusions

The range and severity of problems adversely affect individual users, their families, and present & challenge to addiction treatment services. These problems create costs for the health care, social service and criminal justice system responses.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 173 , Issue 2 , August 1998 , pp. 166 - 171
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

See related paper pp. 160–165. this issue.

References

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (1982) Treatment and Rehabilitation. London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Chitwood, D. D., Clyde, B., McCoy, J. A., et al (1990) HIV-seropositivity of needles from shooting galleries in south Florida. American Journal of Public Health, 80, 150–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Darke, S., Hall, W., Wodak, A., et al (1992) Development and validation of & multi-dimensional instrument for assessing outcome of treatment among opiate users: the Opiate Treatment Index. British Journal of Addiction, 87, 733–742.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Derogatis, L. (1975) Brief Symptom Inventory. Baltimore, MD: Clinical Psychometric Research.Google Scholar
Garfein, R. S., Vishov, D., Galai, M. C., et al (1996) Viral infections in short-term injection drug users: The prevalence of the hepatitis C, B, Human immunodeficiency, and human T-Lymphotropic viruses. American Journal of Public Health, 84, 655–661.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gossop, M., Darke, S., Griffiths, P., et al (1995) The Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS): psychometric properties of the SDS in English and Australian samples of heroin, cocaine and amphetamine users. Addiction, 90, 607–614.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gossop, M., Griffiths, P., Powis, B., et al (1997) Continuing drug risk behaviour: shared use of injecting paraphernalia among London heroin injectors. AIDS Care. 9, 6S1–660.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Groves, P., Heuston, J., Durand, M. A., et al (1994) The identification and management of substance misuse problems by general practitioners. Journal of Mental Health. 5, 183–193.Google Scholar
Institute of Medicine (1995) Federal Regulation of Methadone Treatment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
King, L. (1997) Drug content of powders and other illicit preparations in the UK. Forensic Science International, 85, 135–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kleinman, P. H., Goldsmith, D. S., Friedman, S. R., et al (1990) Knowledge about and behaviours affecting the spread of AIDS: & street survey of intravenous drug users and their associates in New York. International Journal of the Addictions, 15, 345–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marsdan, J., Gossop, M., Stewart, D., et al (1998) The Maudsley Addiction Profile (MAP): & brief instrument for assessing treatment outcome. Addiction, in press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Medical Working Group on Drug Dependence (1984) Guidelines of Good Clinical Practice in the Treatment of Drug Misuse. Report of the Medical Working Group on Drug Dependence. London: DHSS.Google Scholar
Ross, M. W., Wodak, A., Stawe, A., et al (1994) Explanations for sharing injection equipment in injecting drug users and barriers to safer drug use. Addiction. 89, 473–479.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Royal College of Psychiatrists (1986) Alcohol: Our favourite Drug. London: Tavistock.Google Scholar
Setts, S. B. (1981) Follow-up and treatment outcome. In Substance Abuse: Clinical Problems and Perspectives (eds Lawinson, G. & Ruiz, P.), pp. 783–800. Baltimore, MD and London: Williams and Wilkins.Google Scholar
Simpson, D. D. (1997) Effectiveness of drug-abuse treatment: & review of research from field settings. In Treating Drug Abusers Effectively (eds Egertson, J., Fox, D. & Leshner, A.), pp 41–73. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Spencer, K. (1988) Analytical reviews in clinical biochemistry: the estimation of Creatinin. Annals of Clinical Biochemistry, 23, 1–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stimson, G. (1996) Has the UK averted an epidemic of HIV–1 infection among drug injectors? Addiction. 91, 1085–1088.Google Scholar
Strang, J., Griffiths, P., Gossop, M., et al (1994) Survey of the use of injected benzodiazepines among drug users in Britain. British Medical Journal, 308, 1082.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tantam, D., Donmall, M., Webster, A., et al (1993) Do general practitioners and general psychiatrists want to look after drug misusers? Evaluation of & non-specialist treatment policy. British Journal of General Practice, 43, 470–474.Google ScholarPubMed
Wells, B. (1994) Narcotics Anonymous (NA) in Britain. In Heroin Addiction and Drug Policy: The British System (eds Strang, J. & Gossop, M.), pp 240–247. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.