Substance use and addiction research in India

Abstract

Substance use patterns are notorious for their ability to change over time. Both licit and illicit substance use cause serious public health problems and evidence for the same is now available in our country. National level prevalence has been calculated for many substances of abuse, but regional variations are quite evident. Rapid assessment surveys have facilitated the understanding of changing patterns of use. Substance use among women and children are increasing causes of concern. Preliminary neurobiological research has focused on identifying individuals at high risk for alcohol dependence. Clinical research in the area has focused primarily on alcohol and substance related comorbidity. There is disappointingly little research on pharmacological and psychosocial interventions. Course and outcome studies emphasize the need for better follow-up in this group. While lack of a comprehensive policy has been repeatedly highlighted and various suggestions made to address the range of problems caused by substance use, much remains to be done on the ground to prevent and address these problems. It is anticipated that substance related research publications in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry will increase following the journal having acquired an ‘indexed’ status.

Prevalence of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and its Correlates among Recently Diagnosed Young Adult Males with HIV

“…None of them reported Injection Drug Use (IDU). This could reflect cultural patterns of substance use, as IDU is relatively rare in India as compared to the west, while alcohol and nicotine are the most commonly used substances [23]. It is also interesting to note that none of those with ADHD (n=20) were diagnosed with the disorder previously and hence, none were on stimulants.…”

Changing Trends in Drug Abuse Patterns and Seroprevalence of HIV, Hepatitis B Surface Antigen, and Hepatitis C in Substance Abusers Admitted to A Tertiary Hospital in Amritsar, India

“…The most valuable studies in this area include the national household survey and national family health India-3 of drug use in the country, in which alcohol abuse was found in 21.6% -33.3% of men, followed by cannabis use (3%) and opioid use (0.7%), besides tobacco (57%) (3,4). Needle sharing appears to be the most common cause of disease spread.…”

Alcohol, Gender, and Psychiatric Co-Morbidity: A Study from India

“…Alcohol use, until recently, has largely been perceived as a male problem, thus research has been largely focused on males and not on females (1). Gender differences in substance use have been consistently observed among studies done on the general population as well as in treatment seeking samples, indicating that males exhibit significantly higher rates of substance use, abuse, and dependence (2, 3).…”