Relação entre transtorno do déficit de atenção e hiperatividade e transtorno por uso de substância em adultos internados em comunidade terapêutica: estudo caso-controle

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsychiatric condition that affects people in all age groups. It is currently considered a neurodevelopmental disorder and is underdiagnosed in adults can cause negative outcomes if left untreated. This study was conducted to evaluate the frequency of ADHD in adults admitted for treatment of severe chemical dependency in the Rios de Água Viva Therapeutic Community (CTRAV) in Coronel Fabriciano, Minas Gerais. We did a case-control study in men over 18 years old, compared to age-matched men with no history of chemical dependence, in a 1:1 ratio. Data collection was done by applying the DSM-5 questionnaire for diagnosis of ADHD, adding information about demographic profile, smoking, and age of onset of substance use. The control group was made up of men with no history of chemical dependence, living in the same region as the patients, randomly selected, matched by age. The great majority of patients had a high school degree (72.7%), were unmarried (93.2%), and smoked (86.4%). Of the 44 patients with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) tested for ADHD symptoms, 10 (22.7%) met DSM-5 criteria for the diagnosis of the disorder (p<0.001), while only one man in the control group received this diagnosis (2.3%). The most commonly used drug was alcohol (100%), followed by crack-cocaine (47%), with cannabis appearing in third place (4.5%). The high frequency of ADHD was found among patients with severe chemical dependence hospitalized in a Therapeutic Community (TC), which leads us to think that ADHD may be one of the modifiable factors to act on for prevention measures of severe chemical dependence.