Prevalence of co-occurring mental disorders among in-patients at the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Rehabilitation Unit, Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital in Eldoret

Abstract

Globally, the burden of mental disorders among patients attending treatment for substance use disorders is substantial. Little has been done to explore this subject in Kenya. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence rates of mental disorders among persons undergoing in- patient rehabilitation for substance use disorders at the Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation (ADAR) Unit, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Version 7.0 was used to investigate the lifetime DSM-5 mental disorder diagnoses. Fifty three (53) adult patients consecutively admitted to the unit between June 2019 and May 2020 were interviewed by the investigators two weeks after admission. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The mean age for the respondents was 38.13 years (SD=9.26 years). All 53 (100.0%) of the participants had at least one lifetime mental disorder diagnosis. Antisocial personality disorder (69.8%), Social Anxiety Disorder (49.1%), and Major Depressive Disorder (47.2%) were the most common mental disorder diagnoses. A large proportion of in-patients at the ADAR unit, MTRH had a lifetime mental disorder. We recommend routine screening for mental disorders for patients admitted for in- patient rehabilitation at the facility. In addition, management approaches for in-patient substance use disorder rehabilitation should address co- occurring mental disorders.