Medical and Psychological Interventions in Reducing the Risks of Drug Abuse and Improving the Psychological Status of Drug Addicts in Iranian Prisons

Drug abuse in prisons is a serious problem and the high risk methods of drug abuse are even more dangerous, causing greater threats such as the outbreak and spread of HIV/AIDS in the prisons. This indicates the need for treatment of drug abuse and harm reduction in prisons. The aim of this study was to examine the role of medical and psychological interventions in reducing the risks of drug abuse and improving the psychological status of prisoners. Patients and The effects of methadone maintenance therapy(MMT) and other traditional methods of treatment were compared in a case-control and qualitative study to examine their role in reducing drug use, drug dependence, needle sharing, injections using un-sterilized objects, high-risk sexual behaviors, as well as the psychological well being of the prisoners and their statisfaction with the treatment process. The instruments used in the study were SCL-90-R(farsi version), Highrisk questionnaire,Drug dependence scale, Anger scale and client statisfaction questionnaire. The experimental group(n=38) was provided with MMT and psychological and psychiatric treatment while the control group(N=31) received only the usual psychiatric treatment. Data were analyzed using independent T and Chi-square tests. Six months into the project, the results showed significant changes in the amount of drug use and the extent of needle sharing in the experimental group. However, high-risk sexual conduct remained as prevalent as before. Methadone maintenance therapy also greatly improved the psychological health indicators. In addition, the subjects in the MMT group were considerably more satisfied with the services they received. The findings of this study revealed the advantages of MMT over the traditional psychological and psychiatric approaches in the imprisoned, in helping drug addicts in prisons to overcome their addiction. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that not only providing methadone to addicted inmates is safe and harmless, but also can lead to harm reduction and solve many dangerous problems which they face.