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This study assesses for the impact of Covid-19 public health quarantine measures on acute care psychiatric admissions, by comparing admission data from the quarantine period to a comparator period. A chart review was conducted for all admissions to an urban acute care psychiatric centre from Mar 22 – June 5 2020 (quarantine) and January 5 – Mar 21 2020 (comparator). Data was collected on the number of admissions, demographics, patients’ psychiatric history, characteristics of admissions, discharge information, patients’ substance use and social factors. Data was analyzed using a student's t-test for continuous variables and Chi squared analyses for categorical variables. Results demonstrated 185 admissions during quarantine and 190 during the comparator, with no significant differences in the distribution of admissions across time periods. There was a significantly greater frequency of admissions in the 35-44 age bracket and admissions involving substance use during quarantine. Additionally, admissions during quarantine were significantly shorter, with increased frequency of involuntary status and use of seclusion. The data suggests a vulnerability specific to individuals in their 30-40s during quarantine and demonstrates a need to better understand factors impacting this group. It also suggests that quarantine is associated with changes to substance use, potentiating high acuity illness requiring admission.

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Introduction:Despite evidence that the majority of injection drug users (IDU) are polysubstance users and tend to have extensive substance use histories at time of first injection, little is known about the patterns of substance use associated with injection initiation.Aims/objectives:To determine how injection drug use was associated with specific patterns of multiple substance use. Both concurrent (any use during a defined time period) and simultaneous (same session) polysubstance use patterns were assessed.Methods:IDU receiving treatment at a low-threshold methadone maintenance clinic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada completed structured interviews regarding their substance use histories.Results:Injection coincided with: concurrent heavy alcohol use; increasing use of stimulants such as cocaine; and the introduction of misused prescription medications. During their most recent injection session, participants were significantly less likely to inject a stimulant, and were significantly more likely to identify an opioid as their primary drug of injection, when compared to injection initiation. Moreover, alcohol was more likely to be co-administered at time of first-ever injection, whereas prescription sedatives and crack cocaine were more likely to be co-administered during the most recent injection.Conclusions:Initiation into injection tended to occur after an extensive and relatively consistent sequence of substance use. First ever and most recent injection drug use often occurred within a polysubstance context; however, the specific patterns of substance use changed with time. Findings suggest that specific patterns of multiple substance use may be appropriate targets for treatment and prevention of injection drug use.