ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SUBSTANCE USE PATTERNS AND PSYCHIATRIC COMORBIDITIES IN YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

The study analyzes the relationship between psychiatric comorbidities and substance use patterns among the young adults who are prone to substance abuse as well as mental health disorders where the needs of this group are quite high. Data on the frequency, nature and patterns of substance use and standardized measures of psychiatric symptoms were collected using a mixture of quantitative and analytical techniques. The results indicated that the higher the level of substance use, the higher the prevalence rate of psychiatric comorbidities, which included depression, anxiety and mood disorders, was also significantly and positively correlated. Mental health issues were most prevalent in Polysubstance users as they had more severe symptoms compared to single-substance users and non-users of drugs. It was also found that a number of drug types were linked to some mental health profile and that suggests that there's more than one pathway through which drugs leading to problems can be induced. The results highlight the need for thorough mental and substance use evaluations of young adults. The study highlights the importance to implement early, intensive and specific interventions to mitigate the chronic psychopathological and functional impact of co-occurring mental disorders and substance abuse.