20/02/2024
💊 DRUG ABUSE 💉
The global problem of drug abuse is common, often unrecognized, and poorly understood.
Drug abuse is defined as the:
• Prolong use of drugs for more than one month
• Difficulty controlling the use
• Drug use has impaired personal, social, and occupational functioning
For a person to be defined as having a drug dependence she/ he must be struggling with either tolerance or withdrawals. Oftentimes, the classification depends on the type of drug abused, reasons for use, and the patterns.
Patterns of Drug Abuse:
• Recreational Use:
The person takes drugs for fun and is not psychologically, or physically dependent upon them. Most often, drugs are taken by individuals to be part of the group, for belonging reasons, known as a counter-cultural requirement.
• Iatrogenic Addiction:
The person is addicted by mistake and not easily recognized. This often happens with various prescriptive medications. Most of the patients in this category are convinced that they must have the drug to function (e.g. sleep, interact in social settings, etc). Oftentimes, for sustainability, these patients would convince their doctors to prescribe medication as they struggle to cope without it.
• Chronic Drug Addiction:
Most of these patients abuse street drugs. Many have underlying mental health conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, personality disorders, etc). Some take drugs to self-medicate a chronic psychiatric condition as mentioned above.
It is important to note that, drug abusers are not all the same. However, they do share common features which may include marked anxiety, depression, increased dependency needs, low self-esteem, personality disorders, disrupted family life, family history of drug use, chronic course resistance to treatment, and previously evaluative psychiatric illness.
Treatment:
• Treatment of drug abuse is difficult and frequently requires inpatient admissions intervention. This is due to drug dependency, low tolerance, and withdrawals.
Clinicians:
• Whether we are treating in-patients/ out-patients it is advisable to be firm but with understanding and support.
• To be reasonably confrontative. Keep in mind that, due to the drug abuse and behavioral patterns of patients, you will be tested, and manipulated by patients and must not respond with retribution.
• To set clear limits and stick to them.
• To insist on dealing with the patient only when not intoxicated.
Lookout for a poll on the above-mentioned:
~ To be continued ~
