Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Oct 12;13(1):29.
doi: 10.1186/s12954-016-0117-y.

Mental health among clients of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC)

Mark Goodhew  1 , Allison M Salmon  2 , Christina Marel  3 , Katherine L Mills  3 , Marianne Jauncey  2
Affiliations

Mental health among clients of the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC)

Mark Goodhew et al. Harm Reduct J. .

Abstract

The Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) is a supervised injecting facility (SIF) where people who inject drugs (PWID) can do so legally, under health professional supervision. The majority of clients have low levels of education and employment, high rates of incarceration and unstable housing and poor social networks, and 70 % do not access local health services. These factors increase the risk of poor mental health, and it has been documented that PWID have elevated rates of mood, anxiety, personality and psychotic disorders; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and higher rates of trauma exposure, suicidality and self-harm. The current study is the first to investigate the mental health among clients of a SIF. Validated instruments to examine clients' mental health, social networks and trauma histories were administered to 50 frequently attending clients by a mental health nurse. The majority of respondents were unemployed, homeless and had a history of incarceration, and 82 % report they had been diagnosed with a mental health problem, but only 24 % report they were receiving treatment. Respondents had poor social networks, had poorer mental health symptoms compared to US inpatients and had experienced multiple traumatic events, and a high number of respondents had scores indicative of PTSD. These results highlight the need for mental health clinicians to be employed in SIFs and other drug consumption rooms (DCRs) to assist clients to address their mental health and psychosocial needs, particularly in light of the fact that these services are often the only places these PWID engage with in an ongoing way.

Keywords: Mental disorders; Mental health; Supervised injecting centres, supervised injecting facilities, illicit drugs.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. KPMG . Further evaluation of the medically supervised injecting centre during its extended trial period (2001-2011): final report. Sydney: KPMG; 2010.
    1. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research . Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Centre interim evaluation report 3: evaluation of client referral and health issues. Sydney: National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research; 2007.
    1. Horyniak D, Higgs P, Jenkinson R, et al. Establishing the Melbourne Injecting Drug User Cohort Study (MIX): rationale, methods, and baseline and twelve-month follow-up results. Harm Reduction J. 2013;10:11. doi: 10.1186/1477-7517-10-11. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Topp L, Iversen J, Baldry E, et al. Housing instability among people who inject drugs: results from the Australian needle and syringe program survey. J Urban Health. 2013;90(4):699–716. doi: 10.1007/s11524-012-9730-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Best D, Manning V, Strang J. Retrospective recall of heroin initiation and the impact on peer networks. Addiction Research & Theory. 2007;15(4):397–410. doi: 10.1080/16066350701340651. - DOI

MeSH terms