Drugs addiction causes thousands to suffer from mental illnesses

NONTHABURI, 18 July 2016 (NNT) – Addiction to narcotics has resulted in mental illnesses to at least 4,000 patients, all of whom should be provided with access to treatment services, says the DOH.

The Department of Health has revealed that the consumption of narcotics leads to an addiction of the brain, causing brain damage. Continued damage would deteriorate rational thinking and increase inappropriate behaviour, which leads to social issues among the drug users.

Symptoms of mental illnesses are usually found among drug users, including paranoia and hallucination. Patients receiving mental treatment are also required to refrain from consuming more drugs as they will interfere with the treatment process and cause the symptoms to worsen.

Persons who exhibit serious symptoms of mental illness are required to receive treatment according to the Mental Health Act BE 2551. The general public can seek assistance from healthcare or administrative officials to take the patients to receive treatment at an appropriate facility for the benefits of both the patient and the general public.


-- NNT 2016-07-18

It is not rocket science to see that addiction to serious drugs, like yaba, will lead to mental illness.

It is not rocket science to see that addiction to serious drugs, like yaba, will lead to mental illness.

And visa versa.

"Drugs addiction causes thousands to suffer from mental illnesses"

Ah, well that explains why the rich and powerful and their spoilt brats secretly take it and get a mental illness pass when charged with murder,...

I think they have the order backwards: mental illness leads to drug addiction. Known as "self-medicating"

And innocent people suffer the consequences

It is not rocket science to see that addiction to serious drugs, like yaba, will lead to mental illness.

may not be rocket science but the worlds air forces have made heavy use of this drug since it was invented in WW2. not only that but a huge amount of school kids are also on this drug, or a variation of it, and its currently considered a good thing, so it would be interesting to see evidence of the damage it does, not just government propaganda and facebook memes. I have to say I find it very strange the way society seems to have a double sided few of this drug, handing it out to some while locking others up for the same drug.

Edited July 18, 20169 yr by phycokiller

For most people to get into the addiction they had a Mental Illness to began with. Stupid ones

It is not rocket science to see that addiction to serious drugs, like yaba, will lead to mental illness.

may not be rocket science but the worlds air forces have made heavy use of this drug since it was invented in WW2. not only that but a huge amount of school kids are also on this drug, or a variation of it, and its currently considered a good thing, so it would be interesting to see evidence of the damage it does, not just government propaganda and facebook memes. I have to say I find it very strange the way society seems to have a double sided few of this drug, handing it out to some while locking others up for the same drug.

It does have some interesting side effects though. 2 cases I recall was the guy holding the nurse as a hostage until he cut her throat, and the other threatening to throw a baby off a balcony before the BIB blew his brains out. Just part of a good night out I suppose.

legal drugs: nicotine, alcohol, medical pills & SUGAR

all far more dangerous for the body than the occasional joint

thai people never heard of revia / naltrexone for addicts , take a tablet per day and you lose enjoyment of your drugs ... (dopamine receptor blocking) and all the above, specially sugar, which is in everything, makes addicts of people to food.

who else is seeing more & more fatties walking around ?

diabetes & cancer ... what is the cost of that one ?

It is not rocket science to see that addiction to serious drugs, like yaba, will lead to mental illness.

Not mental illness. Drugs lead to dead brain cells.

I always thought the mental illness surrounding drug use was because of the stress of breaking the law on a daily basis, facing severe punishments(Yooyee for eg) the need to find lots of money to buy the crap as the illegality makes the price soar. Dealing with the hypocrisy of law enforcement officers that are heavily involved in the drug trade - the big fish bullying and destroying the tiddlers.

Fact is most pure drugs used responsibly are not harmful or toxic at all. Cocaine, heroin, marijuana are not poisons. Nicotine and alcohol are. Madness.

It is not rocket science to see that addiction to serious drugs, like yaba, will lead to mental illness.

It is not rocket science to see that addiction to serious drugs, like yaba, will lead to mental illness.

And visa versa.

In the country I work, the interaction and relationship of "mental health issues" and "addiction" was termed "co-morbidity". The problems arrived in the duel treatment of them as such. Addicts were detoxed and rehabilitated, without being diagnosed with a mental health issue. They would be very prone to relaps into addiction. eg, a clinical depressed person would drink alcohol to alleviate the depression. Only to end up being an alcoholic/alcohol addict. They'd get treated for the alcohol addiction, only to go home with their clinical depression and relaps into drinking. Visa versa is also true. The major problem at the time, was not having enough sufficient trained professionals in both these fields. Things are picking up, but very slowly. Mainly that many governments throughout the world, refuse to recognize them, and/or underfinance these areas.

Edited July 18, 20169 yr by mankondang

I see psychology and drug treatment is still in the Dark Ages in Thailand.

I always thought the mental illness surrounding drug use was because of the stress of breaking the law on a daily basis, facing severe punishments(Yooyee for eg) the need to find lots of money to buy the crap as the illegality makes the price soar. Dealing with the hypocrisy of law enforcement officers that are heavily involved in the drug trade - the big fish bullying and destroying the tiddlers.

Fact is most pure drugs used responsibly are not harmful or toxic at all. Cocaine, heroin, marijuana are not poisons. Nicotine and alcohol are. Madness.

So do you do heroin your self as it is harmless ? And do you use these other drugs "responsibly " your self ? Wow what a gift to society you must be.

Most are lacking lots of gray matter

Or they wouldn't start!! Losers, from

The start!!

I have to say, based on my past life in America, this headline reverses the cause and effect. Most drug addicts I worked with were self-medicating their mental illnesses, primarily depression.

I agree,i would think that you would have to have a mental illness to even consider taking drugs.People read and see what it does to others,but they still do it.I suppose,among the young,its a respect thing if you have a drug problem and hang around with dealers.The girls must love it when their boyfriend is a drug addict,until the boy kills them,that is.

The Department of Health has revealed that the consumption of narcotics leads to an addiction of the brain, causing brain damage. Continued damage would deteriorate rational thinking and increase inappropriate behaviour, which leads to social issues among the drug users.

wow, half the population is probably on drugs then ???

....a primitive society with trillions of baht falling from the sky.....and only their egos and greed to guide them......

0 people in portugal are in jail for using narcotics... they just said ... waiste of time & space

I very much welcome this statement. Whilst on the surface, it may appear to be a statement of the obvious, in actual fact it marks the beginning of a rational and sensible shift in attitudes towards tackling drug harm. Treating addiction (and other forms of drug harm) as the medical conditions they are is a welcome development for anyone who has had first hand experience of a family member / friend who has suffered drug harm. Anyone who understands drug harm issues to any depth already knows that the failed, archaic legal 'remedies' of the post Nixon era were never going to work - and have actually caused far, far more harm to users, their families and victims of drug related crime than the drugs themselves. Criminalisation can only breed ignorance and organised crime - we have over forty years of experience and data to back this up.

Education about the facts and issues surrounding both drug use and drug abuse, presented in an honest and non-judgemental way is also part of the solution - because (obviously!) only a tiny minority of people are likely to purposefully and knowingly wreck their lives / mental health / family ties.

Congratulations to Thailand for showing excellent forward thinking - you are way ahead of the majority of Western governments in rationally tackling this emotive political 'hot potato'.

There we go. Thailand learns what the rest of the world has understood for years.

So naturally it's big news. Still, better late than never.

Winnie.

Edited July 18, 20169 yr by Winniedapu

I have to say, based on my past life in America, this headline reverses the cause and effect. Most drug addicts I worked with were self-medicating their mental illnesses, primarily depression.

Where I'm from, mental illness combined with drug addiction is referred to as 'dual diagnosis' which is difficult to treat due to two co-existing brain diseases influencing each other.

According to the World Health Organization (2006) this poses a significant problem for Thailand due to its allocation of a mere 3.5% of total healthcare expenditure for the treatment of mental health resulting in a lack of post-qualification refresher training for psychiatrists, limited community out-patient interventions and patient access to treatment in rural areas due to psychiatric facilities being primarily available in cities, leaving outlying communities isolated.

Lengthy prison sentences evidently do not act as a deterrent for drug use but then if you have a pre-existing mental health issue and have no access to treatment, what else can someone do but self-medicate? It would be interesting to know the percentage of prisoners in Thai jails sentenced for drug possession who are also diagnosed as mentally ill.

If Thailand is already struggling to deal with substance misuse and mental health care provision as problems in their own right, how will it be effective in dealing with the comorbidity of addiction and mental health issues?

If you are 3 times more likely to end up in a prison than a mental health facility in the US, what are the odds in Thailand?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentally_ill_people_in_United_States_jails_and_prisons

That's right,

i have to take my medicine now.

only thousands???

Most are lacking lots of gray matter

Or they wouldn't start!! Losers, from

The start!!

Wow what a shallow comment, I hope you never hit a bad time in your life when you see no way out!

Don't worry, lots of gray matter and not a

Loser druggie

I always thought the mental illness surrounding drug use was because of the stress of breaking the law on a daily basis, facing severe punishments(Yooyee for eg) the need to find lots of money to buy the crap as the illegality makes the price soar. Dealing with the hypocrisy of law enforcement officers that are heavily involved in the drug trade - the big fish bullying and destroying the tiddlers.

Fact is most pure drugs used responsibly are not harmful or toxic at all. Cocaine, heroin, marijuana are not poisons. Nicotine and alcohol are. Madness.

So do you do heroin your self as it is harmless ? And do you use these other drugs "responsibly " your self ? Wow what a gift to society you must be.

Im curious, since you brought it up, whats your contribution to society apart from criticizing people you dont agree with?