Three Waves of Substance-Induced Mental Disorders over the Past 30 Years: Results from a Retrospective Observational Cohort Analysis

Substance-induced disorders (SID) have gained increasing attention in recent years; however, there is insufficient data to fully understand the long-term dynamics of these conditions.

In a retrospective observational cohort study, we analyzed a publicly available database (Treatment Episode Data Set – Admissions) between 1992 and 2022 to determine cases of SID and to assess the influence of various independent clinical factors.

Three waves in the dynamics of SID were identified. The first wave was from 1992 to 2001. The number of SID was minimal, with a predominance of men with an average age of 30-34 years, using mainly heroin, methamphetamine, or phencyclidine. The second wave was from 2002 to 2014. The total number of SID increased by 6.5 times, the percentage of women increased, the average age shifted to 25-29 years, and the predominant substances were opiates, stimulants, and barbiturates. The third wave, from 2015 to 2022, was characterized by continued growth in SID cases, surpassing the number of cases related to alcohol-induced disorders, substance abuse, and substance dependence. Methamphetamine and novel psychoactive substances play the most important role in the third wave.

In some cases, SID can transform into a chronic relapsing psychiatric disorder, which will require creating special units for the dispensary monitoring to detect the transformation, as well as to provide comprehensive combined care.

SID is an actual problem. The number of these cases is growing faster than the general population of drug abusers, depending on the general drug situation.