HYDERABAD: Early screening, stronger referral services and compassionate care are vital to preventing drug dependence and overdose, experts said at a programme held at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Erragadda, on International Overdose Awareness Day.
IMH receives around 650-700 addiction cases every month, with severe alcohol dependence accounting for the largest share, followed by tobacco use, marijuana and sedative dependence.
He said primary prevention should focus on awareness before substance use begins, while secondary prevention must ensure early diagnosis and treatment. “Dependence develops over time, while an overdose is an acute emergency that can occur even in a person without dependence,” said Dr Venkat Subbaiah, psychologist at Gandhi Hospital. Experts stressed that substance dependence should be treated as a medical condition rather than a moral failing.
The centres will help doctors to treat patients locally, reducing travel to Hyderabad and lowering referrals.