Workshop held to prevent substance abuse among youth

Bengaluru: The workshop titled "Prevention of Substance Use Among Youth" was inaugurated on Saturday in Bengaluru, Karnataka, by the NIMHANS Centre for Well-Being (NCWB), an urban community mental health centre of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), which operates the Substance Abuse Free Existence (SAFE) Clinic.

The workshop aims to equip youth stakeholders with the knowledge and skills necessary to assist them in the early identification and provision of appropriate interventions for psychoactive substance use among youth in the community. These stakeholders include college teachers and administrators, staff members working with youth welfare organisations, and community health workers.

Over the course of the following year, NIMHANS will host a number of workshops on related topics. Academic stress, peer pressure, performance anxiety, and socioeconomic inequality are some of the main concerns that affect youth and play a significant role in substance use initiation, according to specialists at NIMHANS.

"There are problems that cause people to use drugs. During Covid, we saw that loneliness was an issue and that many people frequently experienced feelings of dejection and the notion that life was not worth living. These result in substance abuse, and a subset of those who are hooked to substances for pleasure exist," according to Dr. Pratima Murthy, director of NIMHANS.

She continued, "At his session, professors will provide training on creating a healthy, productive group of individuals and how to destigmatize mental health disorders."

Children who are at high risk of developing a drug addiction are also found to have internet addiction, according to Dr. Vivek Benegal, a professor of psychiatry at the Centre for Addictive Medicine, NIMHANS.

"Addiction's foundation is laid early. There are studies that discuss the group of people who are most likely to become addicted. Children who begin a task with a strong sense of motivation can lose that enthusiasm halfway through," said to Dr. Benegal.

"The teachers identify them as fickle-minded and send them to the back of the class. They have great intelligence but are impulsive. When anything happens, they become really agitated and angry because they get emotional. Often they are given mobile phones and they are addicted to the internet," he added.

"At SAFE, we feel that preventing disease is crucial, and here we address the danger of substance use," stated Dr. Prasanthi Nattala, Additional Professor, Department of Nursing, and Nursing Consultant to the Centre for Addiction Medicine, NIMHANS. "In order for them to assist the youth, we want to focus on those who are involved in youth welfare," she added.