Substance misusers attending a psychiatric emergency clinic

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Abstract
During a five month period, 1608 patients presented at a psychiatric emergency clinic requiring full medical and psychiatric assessment. A retrospective analysis of the attendance records revealed that a total of 245 (15%) had a diagnosis of substance misuse: of these, 191 had alcohol related problems and 54 had drug related problems. Despite the greater estimated prevalence of opiate use in the community the numbers presenting with stimulant induced disorders were equal to those with opiate drug use. The service and training implications of such a case load are discussed.