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By Dr T Mhlanga
There is a big problem in our society today and it is rampant among the youth, especially those in their 20s – and this is so for both male and females.
This problem is the use of Crystal methamphetamine, known as guka, dombo or mutoriro.
Recent statistics show that between 65 and 75 percent of admissions at mental health institutions are drug related!
If this is not an attack on the very fabric of Zimbabwean society, an existential threat, then I do not know what is.
Of late Crystal Meth has become a cause for concern. The way those that take it become addicted is so serious and disturbing that it is difficult to stop, even if they are willing to do so. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult for parents or a guardian to quickly notice it. It only becomes apparent long after the child has become an addict.
One of the reasons why it is that difficult is because Crystal Meth does not produce an odour unlike marijuana, alcohol and other such substances. More often it is taken at the drug den (ku base) as a group unless the victim has become too addicted that they need to take it daily.
Those in the early stages of taking Crystal Meth usually take it once a week and it remains in the body for weeks. The drug’s high price tag is both a deterrent and a risk. While abusers may begin by smoking once a week, eventually they end up being involved in criminal activities to secure it.
More often than not it affects one’s occupation and education. Imagine 17 or more years of acquiring an education and only dropping at university level all because of crystal meth.
Some of the signs and symptoms are:
Reduced sleep;
Poor appetite;
Loss of weight;
Reduced interest in previous activities of interest;
Paranoia – too suspicious (kutsomwa);
Hallucinations, for instance, hearing voices of people talking when in actual fact there are no people;
Seeing things that are not there; and
Having a sensation of ‘insects’ crawling under one’s.
The signs and symptoms are too many to mention, which probably underlines the danger that this drug causes mentally as it takes over almost all of a person’s senses.
The worst part of it these young adults can become psychotic, in which they would have lost reality of the world. They will be in their own world where everyone becomes an enemy.
They want you to agree with their distorted perception, failure of which causes serious friction with the abuser.
Before we think of them as being bewitched, let us seek professional advise lest we deny them room for rehabilitation.
Unfortunately, Zimbabwe does not have public rehabilitation centres for people who use drugs – it only has public mental health institutions like Annex, Ingutsheni, Ngomahuru and Mlondolozi.
A person who uses drugs is not a mentally challenged person – they just need treatment to wean them off the drugs.
Instead of getting help specific to their needs and challenges, drug addicts are at risk of getting generic help to complex problems.
For more information contact mhlangatinashe8@gmail.com 0775255539/0779320742
