The prevalence of minor psychopathology in opioid users seeking treatment

Studies have consistently reported a relationship between psychopathology and opioid use, with the former cited as a powerful predictor of treatment outcome. Scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), a non-diagnostic measure of minor psychopathology, were obtained from the randomly selected files of 150 opioid users presenting for treatment at an inner city drug advisory service. Approximately 61% of the sample qualified as 'cases', indicating some degree of psychological and social dysfunction. Clients with current legal charges had lower test scores than those without pending legal action, while GHQ scores were unrelated to the remaining 10 demographic and drug use variables investigated. The prevalence of minor psychopathology reported in this sample has implications for the provision of appropriate and effective interventions, and points to the further investigation of the GHQ as a tool in the assessment of psychological dysfunction in this population.