Background. Previous observations have found that the course of heroin addiction is often complicated by fluctuating quality of life disturbances. Methods: To clarify the relationship between psychopathological symptomatology and quality of life of Heroin Use Disorder patients, in this study we tested the significance of the differential changes in quality of life from beginning to end of the observation period for improved and unimproved patients with regard to the psychopa-thology, during an Agonist Opioid Treatment. Results: The findings of this middle-term prospective study of 213 Heroin Use Disorder patients with psychopathological symptoms demonstrated distress and difficulties with regard to the areas of eating and self-esteem correlated with psychopathology improvement. By contrast, problems in other areas such as work-employment, leisure activity, sleep, social contact, earnings, meaningful-intimacy relationships, and environment appeared less related to the psychopathology variation. Conclusions: Although we favour the hypothesis that impairment in the above activities and behaviours may represent a trait marker of heroin addiction, the idea of it being a residual com-plication of repeated addictive episodes cannot be ruled out due to short-limited length of the follow-up. © 2022, Pacini Editore S.p.A./AU-CNS. All rights reserved.
Quality of life differential changes from psychopathological episodes through recovery in Heroin Addiction
Maremmani, Angelo G. I.;
2022-01-01
Abstract
Background. Previous observations have found that the course of heroin addiction is often complicated by fluctuating quality of life disturbances. Methods: To clarify the relationship between psychopathological symptomatology and quality of life of Heroin Use Disorder patients, in this study we tested the significance of the differential changes in quality of life from beginning to end of the observation period for improved and unimproved patients with regard to the psychopa-thology, during an Agonist Opioid Treatment. Results: The findings of this middle-term prospective study of 213 Heroin Use Disorder patients with psychopathological symptoms demonstrated distress and difficulties with regard to the areas of eating and self-esteem correlated with psychopathology improvement. By contrast, problems in other areas such as work-employment, leisure activity, sleep, social contact, earnings, meaningful-intimacy relationships, and environment appeared less related to the psychopathology variation. Conclusions: Although we favour the hypothesis that impairment in the above activities and behaviours may represent a trait marker of heroin addiction, the idea of it being a residual com-plication of repeated addictive episodes cannot be ruled out due to short-limited length of the follow-up. © 2022, Pacini Editore S.p.A./AU-CNS. All rights reserved.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
