Differences in the Use of Substances of Abuse by Psychiatric Patients Compared with Medical and Surgical Patients

This paper presents findings from a comparison between patterns of use of substances of abuse among a psychiatric population and among a similarly studied medical and surgical patient population. A self-assessment survey was carried out in an urban, university medical center population that included 300 psychiatric patients and close to 3000 medical and surgical patients. The psychiatric population was significantly higher than the demographically similar general medical and surgical population in quantity and frequency of use, problems associated with use, and composite categories of use of alcohol and other drugs of abuse. This was true in spite of the fact that the psychiatric service did not readily accept known substance-abusing patients at the time the study was conducted.