Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

(with the main psychoactive component being toluene), accompanied in
one case with alcohol and in another case with a prescription drug. Of
the 33 users, 40 percent were still in school, 17 percent were dropouts,
27 percent were unskilled, and 10 percent were skilled workers. Thirty
percent had no pr<strong>of</strong>ession and were unemployed; one person was on a
disability pension.
These inhalant users had multiple admissions to the psychiatric unit
(56 individual admissions). Their average length <strong>of</strong> hospital stay was
7.6 days. Of the 33, two were diagnosed as schizophrenics (ICD 9) and
experienced longer hospitalizations. Thirty percent <strong>of</strong> the inhalant user
group attempted suicide, one patient having died by hanging during his
treatment (one <strong>of</strong> the schizophrenics). Forty-three percent had been
arrested. These arrests mainly involved petty thefts, but rape and assault
were involved in two cases.
Ninety-seven percent were brought up in a family environment, and the
rest were in foster care. Nineteen percent had lost one <strong>of</strong> their parents,
25 percent had at least one alcoholic in his or her family, 3 percent had a
parent who had been a psychiatric patient, 10 percent had a criminal in
the family, and 43 percent came from broken homes (figure 6).
A personality test (i.e., Rorschach) was given to 54 percent <strong>of</strong> the
subjects, and several personality traits could be identified. The tests
showed personalities that do not take responsibility, hide from conflicts,
have serious identification problems, have dilemmas with separation and
bonding, have failure-determined attitudes with affective explosiveness,
have high aggressive tension, and are susceptible to influence. The
demonstrated behaviors hide loneliness. Individuals with these types <strong>of</strong>
personality tend to daydream intensively, and the joy-seeking behavior
makes them vulnerable to deviances (e.g., alcoholism, drug abuse). The
two schizophrenics were diagnosed at first admission and were retested
2 years later. Neither exhibited psychotic signs other than potential
suicide on the first test. The intelligence test showed a higher
performance IQ in this group than in other drug-using subjects or in
nonusers, corresponding with Creson’s findings (1992). No dementia
was found.
In the city <strong>of</strong> Gyor, the Crisis and Drug Outpatient Clinic was opened
in the fall <strong>of</strong> 1991. No inhalant user has been admitted from the
community. To obtain a more complete assessment <strong>of</strong> substance use
among adolescents in Hungary, this clinic participated in a collaborative
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