HYDERABAD: “Have you watched Arjun Reddy?” “Yes!” screamed a gathering of over 2,500 students from more than 12 colleges loudly in response to psychiatrist Dr Divya Devulapally’s simple question. The psychologist was just getting started with her presentation on teenage drug abuse and how to deal with it during the Anti-Drug Abuse Summit at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus, on Saturday afternoon.
“Be it this recent film or the much older film, Devdas, there are popular film references to show how youngsters take to drugs to deal with their overwhelming emotions. The response to the ‘glamourisation’ of drugs is more when they demonise drugs,” she pointed out.
However, what starts as a habit to reduce anxiety, messes with the dopamine production in the long run and gets a person hooked to drugs for a very long time, explained Dr Ramya, a consultant psychiatrist at AIG Hospitals.
“The earlier one starts consuming drugs, the easier it is for them to get hooked to drugs and fall prey to dependence and addiction,” said Dr Ramya. “This is what we call the ‘age of first use’. Someone who starts consuming substances at 13 years is likely to get addicted to drugs quicker than one who starts at 18 years of age,” she elaborated.
Initially, drugs would give the user a ‘high’ so much so that if they do not consume the substance, they start feeling displeasure and then they start abusing drugs to compensate for the lack of pleasure, the experts highlighted.
How do drugs affect the teenage brain?
The two doctors explained how prolonged substance use inadvertently affects the youngsters’ brain. “Substance use commonly affects four neurotransmitters - dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA and serotonin - which ultimately hinders muscle coordination, memory ability and mood regulation,” said Dr Ramya.
Dr Ramya said, “Alcohol slows one’s reaction time and leads to memory lapses whereas marijuana results in significant decline of an individual’s IQ,” she said. What’s common is that all substances affect the overall health of an individual.
We are here to help: Sandeep Shandilya
Speaking earlier at the summit, director of Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB) Sandeep Shandilya recalled how his childhood friend got introduced to drugs during his teenage years.
“In the 1970s, my friend captained the Indian Kabaddi team at age of 16. During an international match, he was introduced to substances. From there on, till he died, at the age of 45, he was abusing drugs on a daily basis,” Shandilya said.
The TSNAB director narrated how after a point, the boy’s parents had to give him `100 a day so that he can consume drugs and not lose control of himself or indulge in any untoward incident. “Think of how much pain it would have caused the parents? They were taking care of a dying child,” Shandilya questioned rhetorically.
Shandilya insisted that parents play a vital role in identifying drug abuse among their children and facilitating them in seeking help. Adding that friends also have a significant role, he said, “If your friend is consuming substances, please report it to us at the earliest. We will not arrest them. We are here to help them,” Shandilya said, reiterating that the goal was to find the main chain of suppliers and end the drug menace in the state.
