Frequency of Anxiety in Patients With Drug Poisoning in Rafsanjan City, Iran, in 2013

BACKGROUND: Expansion of technology and progression of sciences have led to wider access to agricultural and industrial drugs and chemicals, which has resulted in many problems. Both in wanted and unwanted ways people may take these toxic agents, which perhaps may be along with many unpredictable, life-threatening and mortal outcomes. Based on many studies, most of intentional poisonings arise from an origin of patients’ psychological backgrounds, which confirms necessity and importance of the recent study. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to study the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in patients with drug poisoning. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 116 cases of poisoning referred to emergency room of Ali-Ebn-Abitaleb Hospital in Rafsanjan city, Iran, were randomly selected. Frequency of anxiety among participants was evaluated through the Spielberger questionnaire. A past history of depression and obsession was also evaluated through interview by a psychiatrist based on diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) criteria. All data were then collected and analyzed using SPSS version 17. RESULTS: Anxiety, as the second most common reason of psychiatric disorders in cases of poisoning, with a prevalence of 12.1% in form of mild, 75.9% moderate and 12.1% severe, was confirmed among the participants of this study. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anxiety among cases of poisoning with both drugs and chemicals are noticeably higher than general population. This fact strongly suggests the necessity of in-advance consultation and treatment of any underlying psychiatric disorders of patients to prevent prospective complications.