Background: The problems of drug abuse has been growing rapidly in Taiwan area recently. Adolescents hospitalized due to drugs related problems were a special population and research of this population may contribute to the whole view of the drug abuse problems in our society.
Methods: Psychiatric inpatient records of Veterans General Hospital-Taipei from January, 1991 to June, 1993 were reviewed. Among totally 296 admissions of 260 adolescents, 38 admissions of 27 adolescents were related to drug abuse. The discharge diagnosis, urine drug screen test during admission, hospitalization course, follow-up condition of the 38 admissions as well as the demographic data, pattern of drug abuse, family and personal problems of the 27 adolescents were collected and analyzed.
Results: Among the 27 patients, 21 (78%) abused amphetamine only or mainly, and 14 (52%) of them also drank alcohol daily. As a whole, they began to drink at age 15.6 +/- 1.5 years, to abuse amphetamine at 16.8 +/- 1.2 years. Those who sniff glue started at the age of 15.4 +/- 1.8 years and those who abuse heroin started at the age of 18 years. 14 patients (51%) had previous abstinence history, and the most common reason of failure were craving, peer pressure and boredom. Personal and family factors were the major difficulties encountered in the process of abstinence, according to the evaluation of their incharge doctors. 16 (59%) of them had definite family problems, including loss of parent(s), marital discord or inconsistent attitude of parents, and psychotic history of mother. Interestingly, 15 (56%) of the patients were the youngest, 5 (18%) were the only sons and only 3 (11%) were the eldest in their family. Among the 38 admissions, 34 (89%) were diagnosed as "organic delusional disorder", or "organic hallucinosis" by DSM-III-R criteria.
Conclusions: Amphetamine has become one of the most popular drugs of abuse in Taiwan area in recent years. Many drugs of abuse in Taiwan area 10 years ago were not found in this study. Because of the psychidelic effect of amphetamine, many amphetamine abusers were hospitalized and the drug abusers among adolescent psychiatric inpatients have increased almost 5 times in the past 10 years. Family problems played a significant role. Family approach would thus be very important in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of the adolescent drug abusers.