AN ANALYSIS OF THE PREVALENCE AND CORRELATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL TREATMENT DISCONTINUATION UPON DISCHARGE IN THE PAKISTANI FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIC CASES
Drug abuse has been a significant problem in Pakistan for an abundance of decades, as evidenced by research. However, it is not certain if forensic psychiatric patients' medication discontinuations have made the matter worse. There is an important investigation vacuum because this is the first study of its kind from Pakistan. This study aimed to investigate the discontinuation of pharmaceutical treatment discontinuation upon discharge in Pakistani forensic psychiatric cases. Specifically, we investigated the prevalence and correlation of discontinuation of pharmaceutical treatment. The cross-sectional study was conducted from July 1, 2023, to December 20, 2023, in the pharmacology and forensic medicine departments at Ayub Medical College in Abbottabad, KPK, Pakistan. Each patient's covariate medication type was first subjected to bivariate Cox regression analysis. All covariates that showed a strong correlation with cessation were included in a Cox regression model using forward conditional covariate selection. Of the 118 patients receiving pharmaceutical treatment at discharge, 72 (61%) discontinued it within six months. The concurrent presence of psychosis and personality disorder was the most significant association, while variables linked to a higher probability of treatment termination differed amongst different types of psychotropic medicines. A lower rate of drug discontinuation was linked to older age at discharge, longer hospital stays, and the presence of a trustee or limited guardian. This covered antipsychotics, antidepressants, anti-epileptics, and all other psychotropic medications; psychostimulants and medications used to treat addiction problems were not. Pharmaceutical discontinuation in drug abusers has been associated with specific situations for a large number of former forensic psychiatric patients. This information is important for both individuals working with the group of former patients after being discharged and for those participating in pre-discharge management in a forensic psychiatry.
