Abstract

PACHECO FERREIRA, Aldo; DA SILVA TELLES NICHELE, Cíntia; DEZORDI WERMUTH, Maiquel Ângelo  and  DIAS WERMELINGER, Eduardo. Use and abuse of substances in older adults treated in Mental Health Services. Mem. Inst. Investig. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2022, vol.20, n.1, pp.73-84. ISSN 1812-9528.  https://doi.org/10.18004/mem.iics/1812-9528/2022.020.01.73.

The use of drugs by the elderly is characterized for being a serious public health problem. The number of older users has increased internationally over the past 40 years, but the problem remains neglected. This study focuses on elderly patients with symptoms of concomitant mental illness. Thus, the time of use, patterns of consumption of abuse substances and the sociodemographic profile of the patients attended in the Psychosocial Care Centers for Alcohol and Drugs (CAPS-AD), located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, were investigated. This was a descriptive observational study with a cross-sectional quantitative design on the frequency of use of psychoactive substances in the aforementioned population. The prevalence obtained in this study is lower than those found in the general population and those reported in international studies. This difference may be related to the socio-cultural characteristics of the sample and the fact that patients were already in contact with a mental health service, which may indicate the importance of regular contact with health services as a protective factor and space for help.

Keywords : ASSIST; psychotropic drugs; prevention; elderly; public health.

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