Social information

Employment status

A detailed breakdown of information about employment status is presented in Tables 12 and 37. A summary is shown in Chart 6 below.

Employment status 1998/99 In 1998/99, of the 9144 individuals whose employment status was recorded, 14 percent were in paid employment. In total, 84 per cent reported that they were currently unemployed - a proportion similar to that reported in previous years. Of these, 17 per cent of the 9144 individuals had been unemployed for less than 1 year, 52 per cent for 1 year or longer and 15 per cent had never been employed.

Living situation

Information about patients/clients living situation, including whether the individual has dependent children, is presented in Tables 13 and 38. A summary of the living situation is presented in Chart 7 below.

Living situation 1998/99 In1998/99,of the 9176 individuals whose living situation was recorded, 31 per cent were living with their parents, 28 per cent with a spouse/partner and 26 per cent were living alone. Nearly one in five (19 percent) were living with dependent children (Table 13b). Four per cent of individuals reported that they had no fixed abode.

Legal situation

Information regarding the legal situation of individuals is presented in Tables 14 and 39. A summary is shown in Chart 8 below.

Legal situation 1998/99 Of the 8632 individuals who reported their legal situation, nearly two in every five (39 per cent) had or may have committed an offence giving rise to a legal situation. Thirteen per cent had pending cases; 13 per cent were on bail with a trial pending.

Age at onset of problem drug use and when help first sought

Tables 15 and 16 (40 and 41 residence tables) present information on the age of individuals at the onset of their problem drug use and on the time period between the development of that problem and when they first sought help. A Scotland-level summary is shown in Charts 9 and 10 below.

Age at onset of problem drug use 1998/99 Nearly two thirds (61 per cent) of individuals reported that they were aged under 20 years when their drug use became a problem. Fourteen per cent of individuals reported that they were under 15 years of age when their drug use became a problem.

Time from onset until help first sought 1998/99 Nearly one third (31 per cent) of individuals reported that they first sought help over five years after their drug taking became a problem. Eighteen per cent of individuals reported that they first sought help within a year of its onset.

Intention to prescribe

Doctors are asked to record on form SMR22 information regarding their intentions to prescribe to the individual patient (Tables 17 and 42).

In 1998/99, just over 60 per cent of individuals reported by a doctor (either their GP or a specialist) were either currently on a prescription or the doctor reported that they intended to prescribe (61 per cent). It should be noted that in many cases, the SMR22 form may be completed before the doctor has made a decision as to the treatment to be offered to their patient. This is reflected in 32 per cent of reports to the Database where the doctor had not yet made a decision as to whether to prescribe or not. Only six per cent of reports indicated that the doctor had no intention to prescribe.