Addiction and Psychiatric Comorbidities: About 50 Cases Followed in the Addictology and Mental Hygiene Department of Abidjan (Ivory Coast)

Background: Comorbidities between psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders is increasingly encountered in psychiatric settings. The aim of this study was to investigate comorbidity between psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from June to August 2020 at the Addictology and Mental Hygiene Service (SAHM) of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) in Abidjan. Data were analyzed using Word and Excel version 2016 software. Results: Our respondents were male, aged between 20 and 30 (58%), single (92%), and 36% of them were pupils or students. Sixty percent of the subjects had a psychiatric history, and the psychiatric disorders comorbid with the psychoactive substance addictions identified were schizophrenia (28%), bipolar disorder (26%), and anxiety disorders (24%). The psychoactive substances used in association with psychiatric disorders were cannabis (43%), benzodiazepines (31%), and opiates (14%), which were smoked (96%) at a frequency of three times a week in 64% of cases. The effects sought by respondents were soothing and well-being (59.78%). Schizophrenia associated with cannabis addiction was the most frequently identified comorbidity with substance abuse and psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: The frequency of comorbid substance addiction and psychiatric disorders invites practitioners to systematically search for psychiatric disorders in all users of psychoactive substances and vice versa.