Prevalence of Depression among Patients of substance Abuse Presenting at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital : a Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Substance use disorders (SUDs) together with depression develop into significant public health problems because their co-occurrence produces extensive individual suffering which leads to global disability. Both disorders together become challenging to treat clinically through standard approaches because they result in weak responses requiring more intense intervention methods. The research team conducted a cross-sectional study to quantify depression prevalence rates and determine its extent while studying substance abuse patients in Rahim Yar Khan Pakistan at Sheikh Zayed Medical College and Hospital. The Beck Depression Inventory functions as the recognized scale to evaluate depressive symptom levels in these patients for studying depression and substance use habits in Pakistani tertiary care facilities. The level of depression in substance abuse patients reaches significant thresholds while sociodemographic variables such as age and economic status together with gender impact depression severity. This research presents local information gaps to medical providers about concurrent treatment methods for substance dependence and mental health problems. Research evidence plays fundamental roles in improving comorbid patient care by boosting clinical effectiveness and preventing patients from returning to previous behaviors.

Keywords: substance use disorders, depression, comorbidity, Beck Depression Inventory, sociodemographic factors, Pakistan, integrated treatment strategies.