Aim To assess the frequency of some epidemiological characteristics amongst heroin dependant psychiatric patients in post war Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods We analyzed sixty heroin addicts (47 males; χ²-test=19.3, P<0.001) who were treated in the Department of Psychiatry Tuzla, during the period 1 st July 2007- 30 th Jun 2008, and were tested with Pompidou questionnaire. Results Average age of the group of patients studied was 27.3±5.6 years (min. 20- max. 44 years), the age of the first intake of heroin was 19.9±4.3 year and average duration of heroin addiction was 6.4±4.2 years. 43/60 started treatment following own decision, 48/60 coming from town’s environments, 46/60 were unemployed, 15/60 finished elementary school and 45/60 finished secondary school. 34/60 own driver’s licenses, males significantly more frequently 31/47 than females 3/13 (χ²-test=7.6, P=0.006). 39/60 had no marriage experience. 15/60 had own children (1-3 kids). 12/60 had experience of parents’ divorce, 13/60 had lost one parent and 2/60 lost both parents. Material status of parents was below average for 21/60, and average for 36/60. 24/60 had parent(s) who suffered from certain psychiatric disorder(s). Two thirds had judicial proceedings, and 33/60 were imprisoned. Hepatitis “C” virus infections were reported from 18/60 heroin addicts. Conclusion Majority of heroin addicts who were treated in Psychiatry Clinic in Tuzla were males, from towns, unemployed, not married, with finished secondary schools, owners of driver licenses, had average material status of parents. Majority of them had judicial proceedings with imprisonment. Hepatitis “C” infection was highly presented.

Aim To examine how the experience of genocide in Srebrenica in the early childhood (ages 1-5) influences the psychological health in adolescence. Methods This study included 100 school-attending adolescents, age 15-16 (born in 1990-91) who were divided in two groups according to the place of residence from 1992-1995: the Srebrenica group – adolescents who lived in Srebrenica during the siege and the non-Srebrenica group who lived in the “free territory,” were not wounded, and experienced no losses. We used the socio-demographic questionnaire created for the purposes of our study and the War Trauma Questionnaire, Posttraumatic Stress Reactions Questionnaire, Self-report Depressive Scale (Zung), Freiburg Personality Inventory, and the Lifestyle Questionnaire. Results Srebrenica adolescents experienced significantly more traumatic experiences (14.26 ± 3.11 vs 4.86 ± 3.16, P < 0.001). Although there was no significant difference in the total score of posttraumatic stress reactions and intensity of depression between the two groups, significantly higher scores of posttraumatic stress reaction were noticed for several specific questions. The most prominent defense mechanisms in both groups were projection, intellectualization, and reactive formation. Srebrenica adolescents had higher sociability levels (34.7% vs 16.0%, χ2 = 7.231, P = 0.020). Conclusion Srebrenica adolescents reported significantly more severe PTSD symptoms and significantly greater sociability. Our findings could be used for planning treatment and improving communication and overcoming traumas in war-affected areas.

Evidence shows that heroin addiction has rapidly increased in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the last few years. The considerable increase in hospital admissions for the treatment of heroin addicts supports this evidence. This increase has been accompanied by an unstable geopolitical situation in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina [1, 2]. While heroin addiction has been extensively studied in Western countries [3] and South-East Asia [4], there is a lack of relevant information for the Balkan countries [5, 6].