Drug Abuse: Bliss Healthcare’s Insight Towards this Menacing Epidemic

NN, a young man, 23 years of age, has been consulting the Psychologist at Bliss Healthcare for drug induced psychosis. Psychosis is an altered state of mind whereby one sees things very differently from reality and the condition is often characterized by hallucinations or delusions. His journey into the dark world of mental health illness began while in campus where he was studying for a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. He had dreams of becoming a software engineer in a multinational firm like Google or Microsoft. As a first year he spent his time in the hallowed lecture halls of the University of Nairobi or at the library studying so he could achieve his dream.

One day while in his first year of studies, he met one of his cousins JB, a second-year pursuing Bachelor of Arts in Economics. This was a cousin he had known previously, however and unbeknownst to NN; he didn’t know they were in the same university. JB invited NN to a party the same weekend and this was a turning point for both of them; for this was the time NN got to experience a side of campus life that he had not been familiar with.

It was during this party, where both of them were exposed to all kinds of alcohol, with the students partying till the wee hours of the morning. Initially, NN only took a pint of beer then left early to go to his room. Despite his apparent restraint, he was overcome with curiosity and somewhat temptation for more at what he was missing out on. His cousin JB, kept inviting him to parties but NN kept avoiding some parties and whenever he joined in the festivities, he ensured he restrained himself.

Over time, NN became more and more curious and he started going deeper and dare we say ‘harder’ into the party life. With time, he drank more and more beer; overindulging and uncontrollably at that. Later, he graduated to stronger drinks including whiskey, vodka and gin. With time, the stronger drinks were not fun enough and his urge to satisfy himself led him to explore hard drugs. Initially, he started with marijuana, which was easily available during the weekend parties. Combining alcohol and marijuana gave him more euphoria and before long he was consuming marijuana on weekdays.

NN descended gradually and ended up struggling with addiction. His emotional state of mind was affected, he had difficulty expressing his feelings and had very erratic behaviour. As a result, his academic life was negatively affected. His failure to attend classes disqualified him from completing his dream course. It was at this point he came to the realization that getting back to normalcy and achieving his dream job would require emotional, social and health support. This is now when he sought health services at Bliss Health care in Nairobi. He is undergoing psychotherapy and has been put on medication and he is on the way to recovery.

It is not uncommon to hear life challenging stories such as this one of NN. There might be others experiencing way more when it comes drug abuse; leading them to illegal acts such as stealing, physically hurting people just to get some cash for drugs. While this is not a comparison case, fortunately for NN, he sought rehabilitation and medical services before it was too late.

A recent report and survey by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), shows that over 4.9 million Kenyans are abusing alcohol and drugs, and this number will likely increase if measures aren’t put in place especially in school institutions that should provide a conducive drug-free environment.

At Bliss Healthcare, we have a Psychologist in place who attends to patients with mental disorders. For the case of drug induced psychosis, rehab, to stop using the harmful drugs, together with quiet observation is all that may be needed. However, in other cases, an anti-psychotic drug is most effective.

Should you be battling drug abuse or know someone who is, please reach out to our Bliss Teleposta Medical Centre for psychology and general healthcare services.