The sensational crackdown on drug peddling and abuse two months ago by the State Prohibition and Excise Department as well as the City Police has increased the number of teenagers being referred to de-addiction centres for treatment.
The excise dragnet, spread in the first week of July, not only reached the doorsteps of several Tollywood celebrities but also brought to light the lackadaisical attitude of parents and teachers of several prominent schools, students of which were found to be abusers of psychotropic drugs like LSD and MDMA.
Therapists have refused to divulge details. They point out that a majority of the victims are aged between 16 and 19 years and are addicted mostly to Marijuana (ganja). The shortage of de-addiction centres, the rules that prevent admission of adolescents to these centres and the dire need for parental care and effort for the young victims to come out of addiction were reported earlier in these columns.
In many cases it is parents who are motivating their children to undergo counselling. "Thanks to the drug bust, a lot of parents are now keeping a watch on their children and motivating them to seek help, lest the addicts could lose their mental health," said Dr Y Jayarami Reddy, a de-addiction specialist.
"It is not just those from affluent families but a lot of patients from the middle-income strata, who are in more numbers, are coming to me," he added.
At another centre, two addicts, who lost their mental stability for long abuse of drugs, showed some initial recovery but suffered a relapse. "In two extreme cases, the patients relapsed after treatment. Unless prescribed drugs are used, they cannot come out of manic depression," said Dr V A Prasad, a therapist at Hope Trust.
In many cases, speed ball, a condition where multiple psychotropic drugs are mixed, has been found to be the reason for the faster deterioration of mental health. "It is not just speed ball that has become common but consumption of uppers, a central nervous stimulant (CNS), and downers, CNS depressor, to get a maximum kick has also become common. Our patients include a large number of engineering students," he added.
The de-addiction centres are not of complete help to victims of drug abuse, however, as minors are not allowed to be admitted for rehabilitation.
"The Indian medical law does not allow minors to be admitted for rehabilitation and because of that many children are just considered as out-patients. Apart from counselling, there is nothing much that can be done for them," said O Aravind Reddy, a psychologist.
