European Addiction Research
Psychiatric Comorbidities and Risks of Death, Non-Fatal Overdose, and Self-Harm in Opioid Agonist Therapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study
By Yangyang Li, Alexander Denissoff, Margareeta Häkkinen and 2 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Psychiatric disorders are common among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is an effective treatment for OUD, but outcomes for patients with psychiatric comorbidities remain understudied. This study aimed to examine the connections between psychiatric comorbidities and outcomes in individuals undergoing OAT.
Methods
We retrospectively collected data from the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland clinical registry. The cohort included 1235 patients receiving OAT from January 1, 2004, to April 15, 2021. Patients attending OAT, psychiatric diagnoses, overdoses, and self-harm were identified from the registry data using ICD-10 codes. In cases of death, the register also included the date of death. We analyzed associations between psychiatric comorbidities and outcomes using Cox regression for death and logistic regression for non-fatal overdose and self-harm.