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A City Looks at its Problem of Drug Abuse by Injection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

B. P. Bishop ,
G. C. Cave ,
M. J. Gay  and
H. G. Morgan
B. P. Bishop
Affiliation:
Avon Area Health Authority
G. C. Cave
Affiliation:
Avon Social Services
M. J. Gay
Affiliation:
Avon Area Health Authority
H. G. Morgan
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, Department of Mental Health, 39 St Michael's Hill, Bristol
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Summary

A retrospective, multi-source screening study has detected 148 users (110 males, 38 females) of intravenous drugs who presented to all relevant agencies between 1971 and 1973 in Bristol, a city where maintenance therapy is a very infrequent practice. The peak prevalence was found in the age group 20–24 years, and it appeared that the chief sources of drugs were burglaries of chemists' shops and general practitioner prescriptions. Sixty-four per cent of our users had not been notified to the Home Office. Suggestions are made for the future monitoring and development of services.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 129 , Issue 5 , November 1976 , pp. 465 - 471
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1976 

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