Comorbid Depression among Untreated Illicit Opiate Users: Results from a Multisite Canadian Study

• Published in: Canadian journal of psychiatry Vol. 50; no. 9; pp. 512 - 518
• Main Authors: Wild, T Cameron, el-Guebaly, Nady, Fischer, Benedickt, Brissette, Suzanne, Brochu, Serge, Bruneau, Julie, Noël, Lina, Rehm, Jürgen, Tyndall, Mark, Mun, Phil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2005; Canadian Psychiatric Association; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Behavior modification; Biological and medical sciences; Canada - epidemiology; Causes; Comorbidity; Demography; Depression; Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology; Drug abuse; Drug addiction; Drug use; Ethnic Groups; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Mental depression; Mood disorders; Narcotics; Opioid-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Street Drugs; Canada; North America; America; opiate use; depression; risk behaviour; injection drug use; Mood disorder; Human; Drug addiction; Concomitant disease; Illicit drug; Depression; Opiates
• ISSN: 0706-7437; 1497-0015
• DOI: 10.1177/070674370505000903

Objectives: This study aimed to describe patterns of major depression (MDD) in a cohort of untreated illicit opiate users recruited from 5 Canadian urban centres, identify sociodemographic characteristics of opiate users that predict MDD, and determine whether opiate users suffering from depression exhibit different drug use patterns than do participants without depression. Method: Baseline data were collected from 679 untreated opiate users in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City. Using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form for Major Depression, we assessed sociodemographics, drug use, health status, health service use, and depression. We examined depression rates across study sites; logistic regression analyses predicted MDD from demographic information and city. Chi-square analyses were used to compare injection drug use and cocaine or crack use among participants with and without depression. Results: Almost one-half (49.3%) of the sample met the cut-off score for MDD. Being female, white, and living outside Vancouver independently predicted MDD. Opiate users suffering from depression were more likely than users without depression to share injection equipment and paraphernalia and were also more likely to use cocaine (Ps < 0.05). Conclusions: Comorbid depression is common among untreated opiate users across Canada; targeted interventions are needed for this population.