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Drug Dependent Individuals Dealt With by London Casualty Departments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

A. Hamid Ghodse
A. Hamid Ghodse*
Affiliation:
Addiction Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, 101 Denmark Hill, London SE5
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Summary

During a study of drug incidents dealt with in one month by 62 casualty departments in Greater London, 395 drug-dependent individuals were identified. The great majority of these patients were seen in hospital following an overdose, and barbiturates were the drugs used most frequently. A high incidence of multi-drug use was noted, and many individuals had obtained their drugs from an illicit source. A history of repeated overdosing was common, and one fifth of the patients behaved aggressively while they were in casualty. The implications of these findings are discussed, with particular reference to the demands that are made on casualty departments by drug-dependent individuals.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 131 , Issue 3 , September 1977 , pp. 273 - 280
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists 1977 

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References

Blumberg, H. H., Cohen, S. D., Dronfield, B. E., Mordecai, E. A., Roberts, J. C. & Hawkes, D. (1974) British opiate users: I. People approaching London Drug Treatment Centres. Intern. J. Addictions, 9, 1–23.Google Scholar
Eddy, N. B., Halbach, H., Isbell, H. & Seevers, M. H. (1975) Drug dependence: its significance and characteristics. Bull. Wld. Hlth. Org., 32, 721–33.Google Scholar
Ghodse, A. Hamid (1976) Drug problems dealt with by 62 London casualty departments. Brit. J. prev. soc. Med., 30, 251–56.Google Scholar
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