One tenth of those observed by narcologists in the Vitebsk region are students

One-tenth of those observed by narcologists in the Vitebsk region are schoolchildren and students. These data were announced today by Irina Shchelkunova, head of the narcology department of the Vitebsk Regional Center for Psychiatry and Narcology, at the II International Conference "Let's Unite for Families Without Addictions," which is taking place on November 19-20 in Vitebsk.

As of October 1 this year, 1277 people are registered with narcologists in the region, of whom 584 suffer from drug addiction, and 84 from toxicomania. 510 people using narcotic substances (without addiction) and 99 using non-narcotic substances are under medical and preventive observation.

"However, there is still a system of anonymous assistance in the country, which is not included in the statistics," noted Irina Shchelkunova. Characterizing the social profile of patients observed by narcologists in the region, she noted that 83.4% are young people under 40, with many aged 19-25. And approximately 10.5% are students of educational institutions: schools, lyceums, colleges, universities. "Moreover, there has been a recent trend: in schools and secondary vocational educational institutions, the number of registered drug users is increasing, while in universities it is decreasing," added the head of the narcology department.

The growth statistics can be interpreted in different ways. Identifying such a person is also important in order to provide them with the necessary help and support in a timely manner. The region has a system for early detection of psychoactive substance users, especially among young people. Adolescent narcologists are included in the commissions for juvenile affairs in all districts. An action plan has been developed. Raids are conducted: in dysfunctional families, dormitories. Moreover, work is carried out among children and their parents - discussions at parent-teacher meetings, individual consultations, as well as work with families in which children already consume drugs and psychotropic substances. For young people, addiction prevention and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle are carried out, including on the principle of "peer education," for which volunteer groups have been formed.

An educational program to inform students on this topic, "You Only Have Yourself," is in operation, and in some schools, an elective course on developing life resilience to adverse factors has been introduced. Also, in 2015, selective testing was conducted in three stages in the region to identify users of drugs and psychotropic substances in educational institutions. All 150 selected biological samples were clean. In conjunction with the education department, a questionnaire was developed, and an anonymous survey of minors on the consumption of psychoactive substances was conducted based on it. 3.5 thousand children were surveyed. Large-scale campaigns "Stop - Spice!" have been held since 2013. Educators are being encouraged not to hush up detected cases of substance use in institutions but to immediately report them to the relevant authorities to involve specialists in working with the child.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, BELTA.