Mental health articles

Things to remember when dealing with someone with a drug problem • The commonest drugs that are abused are legal in most countries: tobacco and alcohol. • Drug abuse is both a social and a health problem. It can cause serious health problems such as HIV/ AIDS, especially in those injecting drugs. • Completely stopping […]

When to suspect drug abuse • If a young person develops problems in school or college, especially if he had no problems before. • If a person starts neglecting his daily work or responsibilities. • If a person drifts away from his old friends. • If a person is repeatedly in trouble with the police. […]

Why do drug users seek your help? • Because of health problems due to the drug use. • Because they have run out of drugs and are now suffering withdrawal symptoms. • Because they are fed up with their habit and want help to stop. • Because their family or the police have told them […]

  Often drug abuse starts in youth. One of the main reasons for starting drug use is peer pressure (friends who are using drugs encourage the person to use them). Curiosity and easy availability are also important. A person may use drugs as a way of coping or dealing with stress, such as relationship conflicts […]

Drug abuse and life-threatening infections Drugs like heroin are sometimes injected into the body. Because people who inject drugs may share needles and syringes, and because drug users are more likely to engage in unsafe sex, they are at risk of HIV infection. Another serious disease that is associated with the same routes of infection […]

What does drug abuse do to the person? Drug abuse causes enormous damage to the person and family. • Mental health problems. Because drugs affect the brain, people who abuse drugs can feel depressed and tense. Some drugs can make the person suspicious and confused. • Physical health problems. Problems can arise as a result […]

How are drugs used? Drugs can be used in many ways. The common ways are: • smoking – for cannabis, opium and cocaine and traditional drugs; • drinking, chewing or eating – for pills, cannabis and traditional drugs; • sniffing or snorting the drugs through the nose – for cocaine and glue; • injecting – […]

What drugs are abused? • Drugs that depress the brain. These include opium and heroin. In small doses these drugs make a person feel relaxed. In larger amounts they make the person drowsy and unconscious. The withdrawal reaction is severe; the person may have a strong urge to take the drug, fever, restlessness, confusion, nausea, […]

Traditional drugs traditional drugs of abuse In many communities the use of drugs is allowed on certain occasions. Examples include cannabis in some festivals in India and Africa, and mescaline and peyote in Latin America. Some drugs, such as the khat leaf chewed by people in East Africa, are used as part of social interaction in everyday life. A common […]