Mental Health Assessment in Patients Admitted to Iran Psychiatric Hospital with a Diagnosis of Psychosis Due to 2 - 5 Years of Methamphetamine Use

Abstract

Background: Psychotic disorder due to methamphetamine has a high prevalence with an unknown nature and history. Patients with such disorders are faced with the risk of recurrence of abuse and other psychiatric disorders. Methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorders may continue by independent of methamphetamine abuse, such as primary psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia). Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the mental health and frequency of methamphetamine-induced psychosis in patients referred to Iran psychiatric hospital (a university hospital in Tehran, Iran). Patients and Methods: The research was done on patients with methamphetamine-induced psychosis after 2 to 5 years using of methamphetamine (150 person in the Iran Psychiatric Hospital) .The diagnostic interview was done based on a semi-structured interview (SCID). The data was analyzed by Binary Logistic Regression Model. Results: From 150 patients that were followed, 6 of them (4.0%) died during the phone interview-follow up. The mean age of alive patients was 34.9 ± 8.7 years and 12 of them were women (8.0%). At the follow-up interview, 38 patients reclassified as the cases of schizophrenia (25.3%), 17 as the cases of major depressive disorder (11.3%), 7 as the cases of bipolar disorder type I (4.7), two as the cases of schizoaffective disorder (1.3%), and two of them as the cases of delusional disorder (1.3%). A total of 84 cases (56.0%) were diagnosed as recovered cases or as methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorders. Prediction of diagnosis change showed the diagnosis of methamphetamine use disorder (adjusted OR = 3.978, 95% CI: 1.265 - 12.512), previous psychiatric admission (adjusted OR = 6.749; 95% CI: 1.639 - 27.779), and short duration of psychotic episode (adjusted OR = 0.171; 95% CI: 0.056 - 0.520. Conclusions: The results of our study show that methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorders are associated, in many cases, with the mood disorders. It seems that comorbid mood disorders, age of first use, history of previous psychiatric hospitalization, the risk of methamphetamine use disorders, and psychotic episodes are associated longer with the diagnosis towards primary psychotic disorders.