For children, it’s beyond psychedelics

Academic compulsion and peer-pressure adding to the woes

Psychedelic drugs are not the only cause of concern, high school students and youngsters are addicted to things like cough syrups, glue and whiteners. Recently the government’s focus has only been on drug peddlers and celebrities but, the real focus should begin at home and schools.

“I have patients as young as seven-years-old, who are addicted to medications like cough syrup or stationary items. This is due to the complete lack of parental guidance,” opines Dr Namita Singh, neuropsychologist at Apollo Hospitals.

Further, she said that if the child is prescribed a medication for a time, h/she continues to use the medicine even after that. “Excessive use of such medications can lead to failure of vital organs, like the liver,” she warns.

“The schooling system is also to be blamed,” she argues. “Because of the hectic curriculum children are constantly under pressure and they opt for immediate relief from it.

I even tried to contact some schools to conduct an awareness session for high school students about sexual education and usage of drugs but, they didn’t seem interested in this.

Educational institutions are only concerned about their syllabus but, they are hugely lacking in extracurricular activities like sports, dancing or anything creative for that matter,” she adds.

Speaking about the psychological conditions of students she shares, “A 13-year-old kid was recently brought to me by his mother because of his erratic behaviour and loss of appetite. His mother complained that he was always irritated and physically aggressive with his brother.”

“High pressure from schools drives children crazy. This is no way to live a life; at least parents should understand and allow their children to participate in other creative activities,” she opines.

She also says that many parents are still unaware about their children’s addictions and weaknesses, and even if they do know about it, they are unwilling to bring their kid to a psychologist.

“If education doesn’t begin at home then these psychological conditions will haunt the individual in their adulthood as well. Many software employees are also facing these behavioural issues at an early age.

To get away from their day-to-day deadlines and work pressures they divulge into alcohol, smoking and drugs,” opines the doctor.

By: Tera Sneha Reddy