Mental and behavioral disorders in substance use among adolescents under conditions of the Far North.

Abstract

Unlabelled: It is worthwhile to pay attention to substance dependence in the Far North, which exacerbates personality by formation of psychological dependence. The Circumpolar region of West Siberia is an area of discomforts (Korolenko C.P., 1978; Yagya N.S., 1980; Sapov I.A., Novikov V.S., 1984; Khrushchev V.L., 1994; Kaznacheyev V.P. et al., 2002). The results of the reported research have been obtained in a complex study of addictive states among adolescents living in Gubkinsky of YNAO. The Far North is a region with an extreme environment.

Material: 490 adolescents of Gubkinsky (53.8% of all adolescents). Mean age 15.4 +/- 0.9 years. Basic (1) group--adolescents abusing substances (n = 174), using drugs (at least once in the life), alcohol--100-200 g of vodka (1-2 times a week) and adolescents with tolerance to vodka 300-500g and more. Control (2) group--adolescents without substance consumption (n = 316). Drug addicts (3) group--Gubkinsky (n = 64), mean age: 19.7 +/- 1.3 years; drug addicts (4) group--Tomsk (n = 60), mean age: 20.6 +/- 1.7 years. Local situation in recent 10 years has been characterized by high prevalence of alcohol and drug dependence among population with increase of viral hepatitis and HIV-infection.