Nghe An: In 9 months, 390 more people suffered from psychosis due to alcohol and drugs
(Baonghean) - Currently, the number of people suffering from psychosis due to alcohol, drugs and other substances in Nghe An is increasing rapidly. In the first 9 months of 2017, there were 390 more people suffering from psychosis due to alcohol, drugs...
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| Doctor examines a patient with mental disorder due to drug use. Photo: Thanh Hoa |
Dr. Nguyen Canh Hung - Head of the Department of Addiction Treatment and Forensic Psychiatry, Nghe An Psychiatric Hospital said: In the past 10 years, the rate of patients with psychosis caused by alcohol and drugs entering treatment has increased significantly. In the 1990s, the rate only accounted for 0.31% of hospital beds, now it is 10%. People with psychosis caused by alcohol and drugs often have behaviors that endanger those around them and themselves.
Patients with psychosis caused by alcohol, drugs, and other substances often have symptoms such as anxiety, panic, anger, hallucinations, paranoia, jealousy, behavioral disorders such as attacking others... Treating these patients is very difficult because these stimulants cause permanent damage to the brain.
Specifically: Alcoholic psychosis with paranoia and hallucinations often forms and develops in people who drink alcohol for many years (over 10 years, with or without addiction). Methanol and Aldehyde in alcohol accumulate, causing patients to suffer from related diseases such as autonomic nervous system, pancreatitis, stomach ulcers, hepatitis, cirrhosis, tuberculosis, and kidney failure.
The hospital is implementing treatment for alcohol-induced psychosis with many methods of medication, diet, psychological therapy, and exercise therapy. If the patient cooperates and is determined to quit, the success rate is very high. However, up to 60-70% of patients treated for alcohol addiction relapse.
Statistics in Vietnam: Alcohol is related to at least 50% of traffic accident deaths and is a high risk factor in fatal injuries; 67% of suicides are related to alcohol, 33% of suicides and alcoholism have a diagnosis of mental illness; 80% of alcoholics have depression symptoms; 5% of drug addicts are related to alcohol use. Doctor Nguyen Canh Hung - Head of the Department of Addiction Treatment and Forensic Psychiatry, Nghe An Psychiatric Hospital said: In the first 9 months of 2017 alone, there were 390 mental patients due to the use of addictive substances such as alcohol and crystal meth coming to the hospital for treatment. The vast majority of patients are men of working age. |
For patients with psychosis caused by synthetic drugs (“crystal meth” and “ecstasy”): Drugs directly stimulate the central nervous system, so users can become psychotic the first time they use them, accompanied by cardiovascular, bone, and hormonal system collapse, and infertility.
Currently, the world has not recorded any specific drugs or treatment methods used to cure patients addicted to synthetic drugs. Treatment is mainly cognitive behavioral therapy, with the goal of avoiding temptation and controlling cravings, especially how to cope when encountering reminder signals.
Doctor Nguyen Duc Toan, Deputy Director of Nghe An Mental Hospital, said: Currently, in Nghe An, there have been patients with psychosis caused by "laughing gas". The gas pumped into "laughing gas" is N2O. Abusing N2O is no less dangerous than synthetic drugs, causing neurological disorders, cognitive impairment, heart rhythm disorders, anemia, acute respiratory failure, and movement disorders.
Doctor Toan recommends: It is not difficult to identify people with psychosis due to alcohol, drug, and substance addiction (the patients themselves never admit to being sick). When patients show signs of substance addiction, they must be treated early. The important thing is that we need to educate and help our relatives to stay away from alcohol and addictive drugs from the beginning.
Thanh Son - Thanh Hoa
