Thiruvananthapuram: Lack of exclusive de-addiction centres is hindering the proper rehabilitation of youngsters and children who are into drug abuse in the state.
According to records, Kerala stands second when it comes to drug abuse. Surveys show that one out of three children aged between 13 and 18 has used drugs at least once during their school years.
Excise department and Directorate of Health Services have launched several programmes for rehabilitating children. Tobacco, cocaine, marijuana, injectable drugs, synthetic drugs, mushrooms and psychiatric pills and other medicines are used widely by children. However, the lack of child-friendly de-addiction centres is turning away parents from taking their children for treatment.
Consultant psychiatrist of Mental Health Centre (Thiruvananthapuram) Dr Sheena G. Soman said that the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 strictly mandates child-friendly and exclusive facilities for providing rehabilitation for children below 18 years of age. She said that the Centre has few dedicated beds for children who need inpatient care.
"Launching special programmes alone will not help save our children. There needs to be strict enforcement. Currently, several cases involving juveniles come to us following court direction for professional care. This should be made mandatory, and parents should be asked to produce evidence after getting professional treatment for the children," said Dr Sheena.
As per the Childline Trivandrum survey, 28.7 per cent of the students in the district have used drugs at least once. It also found that the relatives or friends of 68.9 per cent of the students use drugs, and 39.8 per cent of the students wish to try drugs.
With cases rising, the psychiatric wing under the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College has proposed setting up of de-addiction centres for adolescents.
"We have discussed the issue with the DHS. The plan is to set up child-friendly facilities for rehabilitating young children. The drug abuse cases have gone up drastically in the recent past. Definitely, it's not ideal to treat these children at normal de-addiction centres," said Dr Mohan Roy, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Medical College.
Former Child Rights Commission member J. Sandhya said that adolescent psychology is a specialised area, and it's high time the government made concrete interventions.
"Addiction and subsequent crime rates are going up in the state among children," she added.
