Pattern and Severity of Substance Use Disorder among Patients Seeking Treatment at De-addiction Centres in District Amritsar, Punjab

Introduction: Worldwide substance use is a major public health problem. There are multiple socio-demographic correlates of substance use disorders. Objective: To study pattern and severity of substance use disorder (SUD) among patients seeking treatment at two de-addiction centres in Amritsar. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 203 patients with substance use disorders seeking treatment selected by total enumerative method in the time period from 25th March – 24th April,2025 using a predesigned and pretested proforma. The severity of substance use disorder was graded as Mild=2-3, Moderate= 4-5 and Severe=6+ using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for substance use disorder. Results: Mean age of the study participants was 36.4±11.1 years and majority (98%) were males. In order of frequency, substances used were opioids 170 (83.7%), alcohol 77 (37.9%), OTC (over the counter drugs) 42 (20.7%) and tobacco 31 (15.3%). Peer pressure was the commonest reason for the initiation of substance use. By grade, 170 (83.7%) participants had severe, 24 (11.8%) had moderate and 9 (4.5%) participants had mild grade of substance use disorder. Significant associations between severity of substance use disorder and frequency of substance use (OR= 3.61,95% CI=1.10-11.85), clinically diagnosed depression (OR=3.75, 95% CI=1.25-11.19), financial or legal issues faced due to substance use (OR =4.68, 95% CI=2.08-10.50) and current pattern of substance use (OR=4.30 95%, CI=1.50-12.32) were found. Conclusion: Sociocultural factors play a dominant role in substance use disorders. Socio-culturally relevant behaviour change communication and targeted interventions are need of the hour.