Increasing substance abuse – alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes and opioids – that used to be a common phenomenon among men, is surprisingly seeing an upward trend among women in .
In a span of ten years, starting from 1990-2000, the de-addiction centre at NIMHANS (National Institution of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) received 75 cases of substance abuse among women, but for the past five years, on an average every year the centre has received about 50-75 cases of severe substance abuse among women, requiring rehabilitation.
Speaking with dna, Dr Prathima Murthy, professor of psychiatry at the Centre for Deaddiction Medicine, NIMHANS said, "We have been getting an increasing number of women requiring rehabilitation following extreme use of substance like alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes and opioids across all age group and from different professions. Alcohol and tobacco use are common among the elderly, while among the younger women, along with alcohol and tobacco products, opioids like heroin, injections and painkillers are common."
Explaining about the reasons for increase substance abuse among women, Dr Murthy said, firstly it was the easy availability of these toxic substances.
"Also women are now becoming financially independent, and with emotional difficulties in professional and personal lives rising, they are resorting to such substance abuse to get temporary relief."
At yet another de-addiction rehabilitation centre - Cadabams on Kanakapura Road, the number of women requiring rehabilitation following substance abuse, mainly opium drugs, is on the rise. Rajashekar Hiremath, Director of the Centre, told dna: "Every year, the number is rising. A few years ago, we used to get just 3-4 cases per year, but this year in the past three month itself we got eight cases of women coming in for rehabilitation following various forms of substance abuse."
Dr R Raghuram, Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Specialist, Abhaya Hospital, said: "This is a reflection of changes in society and substance abuse habit among females is also a reflection of what is happening in their personal lives. Their changing roles, their inability to cope with the problems they are facing and the increasing stress they are being subjected to, is resulting in such habits among women."
Special centre for women addicts
Keeping in mind the need for treatment and rehabilitation for such women, NIMHANS is coming up with a special centre for addiction medicine for women at its campus. The facility, the first of its kind in the country, will be open by June, said Dr P Satischandra, director and vice chancellor, NIMHANS.
The facility is coming up in a separate four-floor building opposite to the de-addiction centre at the NIMHANS campus. The centre will have 60-bed in-patient capacity and will house the toxicology laboratory. The centre will also open a course of PG fellowship in addiction. Even children, who are victims of substance abuse, will be taken care of at the centre.
Dr Satishchandra said: "Of late, children are getting into addiction much earlier in 10th - 12th standards, requiring early intervention."
The new centre for addiction medicine for women will be managed by four faculty members from the psychiatry department, two psychologists, two faculties from the psychiatric social work department, PG fellows and psychiatric nurses. It will also serve as a resource centre for educating people of other States through tele-linkage facility, Dr Satishchandra added.
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