| BRIEF RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS |
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| Year : 2005 | Volume
: 47
| Issue : 1 | Page : 44-47 |
Community 'de-addiction' camps: A follow-up study
Lok Raj, BS Chavan, Chandra Bala
Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh 160030, India
Correspondence Address:
Lok Raj
Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh 160030
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0019-5545.46074
Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of the camp approach for the treatment of alcohol and drug dependence.
Methods: This was a prospective, longitudinal study with a 6-month follow-up. Patients were drawn from the villages covered under the community outreach programme of the Department of Psychiatry of the Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh. Forty-six patients with a history of substance use (alcohol: 23, opioids: 20, cannabis: 2, sedative/hypnotic: 1) admitted to two different community camps for 10 days each were followed up in the community outreach clinics of the respective villages. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were recorded on a semi-structured proforma. Outcome variables, changes in dose, frequency, route of intake, status of complications, etc. were recorded on a specially designed semi-structured proforma at the end of 6 months of treatment. The ICD-10 criteria were used for diagnoses.
Results: Thirty-six patients (78.3%) completed 6 months' follow-up, 61% recovered totally or their condition improved markedly. There were significant improvements in physical health and family life.
Conclusion: The camp approach is a cheap and effective treatment alternative for patients with alcohol and drug dependence.
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