Association Between Psychiatric Symptoms and Craving in Drug Withdrawal

There is an association between drug use and psychological disorders. The correlation between drug craving and psychological symptoms has been studied during drug use and acute withdrawal. However, this correlation has not been researched during non-acute withdrawal. This study recruited 175 females who had long-term drug use history and their abstinent time was at least 30 days. Psychiatric symptoms were tested by Symptoms Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and Visual Analog Scale was utilized to present subjects' craving intensity. The craving intensity was positively associated with SCL-90 total score and its ten subscales, p < 0.01. SCL-90 total score, somatization, obsessive compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, psychotic symptoms, and additional items were negatively linked to abstinent time, p < 0.05. Moreover, with the increasing abstinent time, the correlation between craving severity and SCL-90 and its subscales was weakening. The craving was positively associated with psychiatric symptoms in non-acute withdrawal women. This association might weaken and the severity of some psychiatric symptoms may ameliorate over time. Women who have drug use disorders would benefit from psychiatric treatment to reduce drug craving and to subsequently decrease relapse rate.