National 7 (Spotlight Weekly)

Drugs Abuse and Health Hazard

By Dr. Niranjan Prasad Upadhyay

One of the many hazards of compulsive drugs use is that it can lead to drugs dependence. Users continue to take drugs despite adverse social and medical consequences, and they behave as if the effects of the drugs are necessary for their continuous well beings The magnitude of this need or dependence can vary from a mild desire to a craving or compulsion to use the drugs. The negative effects of drugs on physical health are often indirect results of drugs' impact on behavior. For instance, people using stimulants usually do not eat or sleep properly. Sedatives increase the risk of accidental injuries because they severely damage motor coordination.

Drugs abuse is one of the most vexing and pervasive problems that almost all the countries have faced. Drugs abuse has invaded the home, the work place and educational institutions regardless of race, class or sex. It is highly complex subject, which covers the bio-medical and psycho-pharmacological effects of drugs on body functions and behavioral response of the users. Society's opinions are based on its assessment of the physical, mental, or social harm caused by the drugs abuse or because of an ethical or religious disapproval. Studies highlight that the increase of drugs related problems in Asian countries, i.e., HIV transmission, have not been fully explained or understood.

Behavior and emotions are higher functional properties of the brain that depend on the network of neurons and chemical neurotransmitters that exist all over the body. However, means by which neurons activate changes in behavior and in mood remain unknown. Nevertheless, certain neurotransmitters, such as the monoamines, norepinephrine, dopamine, epinephrine, serotonin, and acetylcholine, appear to be closely linked to these aspects of brain function. Drugs that influence the operation of these neurotransmitter systems can profoundly influence and alter the behavior of the individuals.

Researchers have mainly categorized drugs into five watertight compartments viz. narcotics, cannabis, stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. By and large, various types of psychological, physiological and social problems are observed among drugs abusers.

Drugs abuse has come to denote both psychological and physiological dependence. The term drugs abuse is used to indicate the excessive consumption of a drug, regardless of whether an individual is truly dependent on it. Drugs abuse or dependence may occur at any age, but seems to be most common during adolescence and young adulthood. Clinical pictures vary markedly, depending on the types, amount and durations of drugs usage, the physiological and psychological make up of the individual and the social setting in which the drugs experience occurs.

Drugs abusers are generally immature, suffering from mental and physical health hazards, emotionally disturbed and psychopathic in nature. Illicit drugs could lead to different forms of mental and social problems. Studies disclose diversified pictures of drug abusers i.e. 17.3 percent of commercial sex workers in Kathmandu suffer from HIV positive, half of all injecting drug users in Kathmandu valley are infected with the virus, more than 80 percent of injecting drugs users are sexually active and 40 percent of them are married. Mostly drugs users in Kathmandu prefer to use cheaper drugs like tidijesic, a sedative containing morphine and synthetic morphine or benzodizapam.

Researches on drug addicts' psychology show that the assemblage of personal factors is the key force driving them into drug addiction. Thus, in the process of treatment, it is advisable to focus on their psychology and on education about healthy life-styles. Studies have claimed that abusers who make use of cocaine always develop the symptoms like lethargy, difficulty in thinking, speaking disorder and loss of memory. Psychologists emphasize that drugs abuse starts due to too much peer pressures, curiosity and enjoyment, lack of appropriate control and conflicts in the family.

Usually, environmental factors influence the prevalence and progress of the substance used in adolescence. Therefore, it can be inferred that drug abusers have higher levels of anxiety. Abusers and non-abusers' demands differ significantly on socialization. Predominantly, addicts have more somatic anxiety, muscular tension, avoidance and suspension as compared to non-abusers. Abusers exhibit low socialization and high score of psychopathic deviation than non-abusers.

Drugs abusers normally disclose a social, outward look of self-assonance with inner feelings of self-doubt, fear, hostility and depression. They show unreliability, negligence and self-centeredness. Largely, in Nepalese context, there are abundant non-governmental organizations working in the field of treating drugs abuse cases. But effective results are not achieved.

There are four principal ways to manage drugs abuse. They are controlling consumption, production, processing and trafficking. In reality, the subject of drugs management is difficult. Adopting numerous approaches with the efforts of government organizations, NGOs, health professionals, public, educationists, media, legal experts, psychologists and sociologists can resolve it successfully.

Primarily, in the approaches to the drugs abuse treatment and prevention, clinical psychologists have played a key role in developing behavioral medicine and psychotherapy techniques. Most recent advances in health psychology are characterized by the emerging contributions made by psychologists collaborating with health professionals from other disciplines in the interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine. Clinical application of behavioral medicine is gaining importance everyday in the overall management of drug related health troubles.

Necessarily, the treatment process consists of four stages: to select drug addicts; to stop their fits of addiction and recover their health; to organize courses in vocational guidance and training and create jobs for them. Psychological treatment and education about personality for drug addicts always play extremely important roles in the process of rehabilitation.

In conclusion, school based teaching must be integrated into the syllabus, provided within children's normal reaches so that role models for the children are accessible. This will help them to reproduce information with reference to drugs use, together with its effect on the body and the mind, social relationship and the community, and exposure to the healthy behavior that must be imparted from pre-school throughout higher education. In reality, such education about drugs use and their effects should be seen as a part of an extensive approach to drug diminution.

(Dr. Upadhyaya is a senior psychologist at the Public Service Commission)