Forensic analysis of illicit drugs in hair specimens of psychiatric patients at Butabika Hospital in Uganda

Drug abuse may cause adverse effects on an individual's health, relationships, and overall quality of life. In Uganda, there has been an increase in mental health illnesses associated with the abuse of drugs such as cannabis, opioids, amphetamine-type stimulants, khat, and cocaine among others. This study was designed to use hair samples to detect substances of abuse in psychiatric patients. For this purpose, the hair samples were collected from patients between 18- and 50 years old hospitalized in Butabika Hospital's Alcohol and Drug Unit. Also, the questionnaires for patients were performed to evaluate the sociodemographic characteristics of patients and obtain their self-report for substance use. A reliable analytical method was designed to identify these compounds, and hair samples obtained from the occipital region of patients were analyzed after methanolic extraction of the target analytes. A total of 154 patients were included in the study, 76.62% male and 23.38% female. The average age of the patients with hair analyzed was 29.77 years. Survey interviews revealed that 62.99% (n=97) of patients had been exposed to Cannabis. The experimental method showed a difference in some detected substances reported during the interview and included Cannabis, Khat, Pethidine, Tramadol, Heroin, MDMA, Cocaine, Amphetamine, MDA, Methamphetamine, Codeine, and Morphine. Furthermore, the relationship between substance abuse and psychological disorders was evaluated. Depression, anxiety, mood disorder, psychosis, and eating disorders were obtained in patients' records. In conclusion, the present study suggests that hair analysis is an important technique for the screening of abused drugs in forensic and psychological units. Keywords: substance abuse, hair analysis, questionnaire, psychological disorders