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Specialists from the Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control Department (NTAKD) are concerned about the extent of the abuse of these drugs in Lithuania. The average duration of use of these drugs in Lithuania is more than 7 years, although the researchers recommend prescribing them only for short-term treatments.
The NTAKD report states that although sedatives and hypnotics are used more frequently in the elderly population in Lithuania, recent studies show a significant prevalence of their use among pupils and students. 2019 A study on the consumption of alcohol and other psychoactive substances in European schools (ESPAD) carried out in 2006 revealed that in Lithuania, young people aged 15-16 years used sedatives or hypnotics at least once in their lives without a prescription. The 2003 student ratio has risen sharply and is the highest since 2003. A physician has used sedatives and hypnotics at least once in his life without a prescription. Lithuanian students (28.7% girls and 10.6% boys).
According to this indicator, Lithuania is the third among the European countries participating in the survey and even exceeds the average of all countries several times: 9.2 percent. Also since 2007. there is a big increase in the number of students who are 13 years old. or younger, tried sedatives and hypnotics without a prescription. The scale of the problem, according to NTAKD specialists, is also revealed by the fact that every third student can easily get sedatives and hypnotics if they want.
Department of Drug, Tobacco, and Alcohol Control 2020 According to the Fall 2006 Higher Education Student Survey, 13 percent. students have used prescription drugs to improve study results, increase productivity, work capacity, motivation to do homework (14.6% women and 7.9% men), and an even higher proportion – 19.4% of students have used prescription drugs to reduce the stress of studying, relaxing, falling asleep more easily (22.4% of women and 12.2% of men).
This study also revealed that 23.3 percent. the well-being of the students deteriorated during the quarantine due to COVID-19. In addition, more than a third of students tend to feel nervous tension, anxiety, often find it difficult to concentrate, find it difficult to fall asleep or sleep poorly, do not want to do anything, feel apathy.
There was a trend that the proportion of students who used psychoactive substances (especially those who used them to reduce study stress, relax and fall asleep more easily) was significantly lower in terms of health and well-being. And those students who took prescription drugs at least once in the past year or month to reduce the stress of studying, relaxing and falling asleep more easily had the worst scores on their physical health and any mental health indicator scored.
The results of research by foreign scientists are similar, says NTAKD. 2019 According to a study by US researchers published in 2006, high school students taking prescription benzodiazepines are more anxious and more hostile than their peers. And students who take prescription stimulants are more likely to be aggressive and anxious than their peers.
The 2020 agenda also provides a better understanding of the problem. A study initiated by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction to assess the effects of COVID-19 on psychoactive substance use patterns. The study revealed that restrictive measures introduced by the pandemic may have made it difficult to obtain narcotics and psychotropic substances on the illicit market, which may have led to an increase in the use of legal psychoactive substances such as alcohol or prescription drugs in response to the changes. From the market. In this study, there was an increase in the use of prescription drugs, especially benzodiazepines, among some population groups. The study report emphasizes that the increase in the use of these substances may be related to the need to reduce concerns about the pandemic and current quarantine measures. Additionally, some people addicted to narcotic and psychotropic substances used benzodiazepines to relieve withdrawal symptoms when they were unable to obtain narcotic and psychotropic substances that they had previously used.
The Department of Drug, Tobacco and Alcohol Control issued an informational postcard on benzodiazepines this year. It provides information on the dangers of long-term use, overdose, and mixing of these drugs with other psychoactive substances, noting that counterfeit and life-threatening benzodiazepines may be offered on the illicit market.
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