Most U.S. Psychiatric Hospitalizations Do Not Involve Substances
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Aug. 26, 2024 -- Most psychiatric hospitalizations do not involve substances, according to a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Susan L. Calcaterra, M.D., from the University of Colorado in Aurora, and colleagues compared U.S. temporal trends in methamphetamine-involved psychiatric hospitalizations. The analysis included data from 963,202 psychiatric hospitalizations (quarter 4 2015 to quarter 4 2019).
The researchers found that 5.2 percent of hospitalizations involved methamphetamine and 10.7 percent involved opioids and/or cocaine without methamphetamine. Over time, methamphetamine-involved psychiatric hospitalization rates increased by 68.0 percent, and psychiatric hospitalization rates involving opioid and/or cocaine without methamphetamine decreased by 22 percent. Non-substance-involved psychiatric hospitalization rates remained unchanged. People older than 61 years of age, males, and Midwesterners experienced the largest significant increases in methamphetamine-involved psychiatric hospitalization rates. In Black patients, methamphetamine-involved psychiatric hospitalization rates doubled.
"While the vast majority of psychiatric hospitalizations in this timeframe did not involve substance use, the significant increase in methamphetamine use means we have to better consider harm reduction in clinical settings," Calcaterra said in a statement. "Evidence-based interventions such as contingency management which involves offering incentives for abstinence, harm reduction education, provision of naloxone for overdose reversal and access to expanded mental health treatments are proven to help mitigate dangerous effects from methamphetamine use."
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
Chronic Exposure to Systemic Inflammation May Increase Risk for Affective Disorders
THURSDAY, July 3, 2025 -- For individuals with specific autoimmune conditions, there appears to be an increased risk for affective disorders, according to a study published online...
Time-Restricted Eating Does Not Impact Sleep, Mood, Quality of Life
THURSDAY, July 3, 2025 -- For adults with overweight or obesity, time-restricted eating (TRE) does not lead to significant changes in sleep, mood, or quality of life, regardless...
Late-Life Mood Disorders May Indicate Predisposition to Dementia
MONDAY, June 30, 2025 -- Alzheimer disease (AD) and diverse non-AD tau pathologies may contribute to late-life mood disorders (LLMDs), according to a study published online June 9...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.