NIMHANS conducts workshop to prevent substance use among youth

A series of workshops on the similar issue will be conducted by NIMHANS over the next one year.

The experts at NIMHANS state that academic stress, peer pressure, anxiety regarding performance and socio-economic inequalities are some of the important issues that affect youth and play a significant role in substance use initiation.

“There are issues which drive people to substance use. During Covid, we witnessed loneliness was a problem and often many encountered the feeling of dejection and the feeling of life not worth living. These lead to substance use and then there is a set of people who are addicted to substances for pleasure,” NIMHANS Director Dr Pratima Murthy said.

“At his workshop, the professors will train about developing healthy productive set of people and how to destigmatise mental health disorder,” she added.

Dr Vivek Benegal, Psychiatry Professor at the Centre for Addictive Medicine, NIMHANS, said the children at high risk of drugs addiction are also found to be addicted to the internet.

“The seeds for addiction are sowed early. There are research works which talk about the set of people, who are likely to develop addiction. There are children who start a work with passion and leave it midway for the lack of motivation,” Dr Benegal said.

“They are placed at the back of the class by the teachers and are labelled as fickle-minded. They are impulsive but very brilliant. They get emotional and if something happens they get very upset and angry. Often they are given mobile phones and they are addicted to the internet,” he added.

Dr Prasanthi Nattala, Additional Professor, Department of Nursing and Nursing Consultant to the Centre for Addiction Medicine, NIMHANS said: “At SAFE we believe that preventing disease is important and here we address the risk of substance use. We want to target people who are involved in youth welfare so that they can help the young people.”

According to the National Mental Health Survey of India (2015-16), 0.6 per cent of the surveyed population had dependence for cannabis, stimulants, opioids, inhalant substances and for prescription drug misuse.