Education in Russia

School tests for drugs - whether they should have?

Already at the beginning of the academic year Russian students will be tested for drug use. Innovation was approved at the highest level. But whether it will benefit?

To identify young drug addicts

According to the explanations given by the Ministry of Health, is testing a two-step: first - identification among students at risk, then - checking for drug abuse among children assigned to that group. Testing, as promised, will be voluntary, and its results will not be available either teachers or law enforcement authorities.

However, its meaning, explains the same officials, is that as soon as possible to identify young drug addicts. Doubts about the productivity of new anti-drug activities shared expert of the World Health Organization, MD, Head of the Department of Medical Psychology, Kazan State Medical University Vladimir Mendelevich.

Offending teenager suspected

State is important to know who the teenagers use illegal substances. It is said that this initiative is introduced primarily for children and parents. Let me remind you: Today's parents have the opportunity to conduct testing of their offspring if they have any suspicions. Multitesty to different drugs can be bought at any pharmacy. They operate on the same principle as a pregnancy test.

Another question - why so few parents use this? Probably because they think - "insulting a teenager suspected of" causing to be tested, they risk losing their trust.

It turns out that voluntary testing at the school for parents does not make sense. And how the law relates to the mandatory testing?

By law, before the age of fifteen to any medical procedure (a test - a medical examination, examination) shall require the consent of parents or guardians, and after 15 years - only the consent of the adolescent. The same applies to the information about the test results: up to 15 years of life it can get from doctors, parents and child after - just a teenager.

Consequently, the law expressly prohibits the testing, without the voluntary consent of the adolescent age of 15. And the Russian Constitution states that a person has the right to health, but it does not impose an obligation to be healthy.

This cunning advocates testing

I am often asked whether such in the Russian context, that testing will be anonymous and the results will be known only to parents?

This cunning advocates testing! If they want all the mandatory test for "national assets", then certainly not in order to not have any information after that.

Noting that the state drug testing - an extremely costly procedure. In Tatarstan, testing students for drug use was conducted over five years. We conducted a study and calculated that in one case the identification of drug use requires more than 70 thousand rubles.

It is clear that law enforcement officers expect to receive test results. Also no secret that the medical secret in our Addiction is not adhered to. For FSKN any medical information easily accessible.

And what is fraught with lack of anonymity?

Treatment in state clinics in our country, unfortunately, involve a number of disability for patients of any age. If a teenager is found to be drug addicts and recorded, for example, he can not get a driver's license. In addition, many schools from a young person may require a certificate from the psychiatrist.

And by the way, I know of no state that would have gone to a violation of individual rights and would have introduced mandatory testing for students. Presumption of innocence - an immutable law. After all, schools are not forcibly turning the pockets! In this test, in one form or another, exists in some schools. When you receive them, the teenager signed a contract (charter) and will not take drugs. The statute may be prescribed, that the leadership of the institution has the right in case of reasonable grounds to conduct an involuntary drug testing, and the fact that consumption may be grounds for exclusion. It turns out that he voluntarily accepts the terms of a teenager.

Almost a third of students have tried to "weed"

Our teens pretty good idea of ​​what drugs. According to sociological research, almost a third of students have tried to "weed". As for really difficult teenagers - almost none of them do not read newspapers and news on TV is not looking. So that the entire anti-drug panic - this is the game of adults.

In the first phase of testing at the school are requested to identify juveniles who are at risk. But what are the teenagers here have in mind?

According to the criterion of drug use, all children are at risk because they face at school, on the street, in clubs with people who use drugs. And for the formation of dependence requires certain personal qualities. These include infantilism, heightened suggestibility, a tendency to imitative behavior, fear of abandonment, self-centeredness.These qualities lead to addiction, but from what it was - in many respects, a matter of chance.

Tests can be deceived?

Currently, there are psychological techniques that allow the identification of susceptibility to addictive behavior. This - not a questionnaire "is used - not to drink." In the test questions are formulated so that for a teenager, as a rule, it is difficult to understand what can say positive or negative response. In addition, there are so-called "lie scale": inspection issues. The responses to them is clear, the person is lying or not. If you lie, the test is unreliable. In this case, it is theoretically possible to deceive any test. Not just a poll.

In early 2011 the director of the National Addiction Research Centre MOH Eugene Koshkin said that in Russia run out of money on studying drug use among adolescents. According to Cat, in 2010 and 2011 the Russian government stopped funding an international research project ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drug), covering pupils aged 15-16. The Ministry of Health and Social Development stated that they know nothing about this study.

You can substitute and body fluids. And discover the deception is extremely difficult. In theory it is possible to hold a special in-depth analysis for this purpose, but it's expensive.

But it is worth thinking over another. Well, we caught a teenager in the fact that it was his urine and that he used drugs. What's next? He will deny everything! The question is not error-free testing organization, and in the formation of trust between adults and adolescents. Without this, no prophylaxis is not effective. A fear test - bad moon prevention.

Look into the eyes of a child

To parents to determine whether the child takes drugs, we must look into his eyes, offers medportal.ru. And literally and figuratively. The first sign of drug use - to change the pupil. He becomes a wide, or, conversely, a narrow and poorly responsive to light. In addition, drug use changes the emotional teenager. There are abrupt mood swings, disturbed sleep patterns - for example, he sleeps late.

Typically, adolescents more likely to use cannabinoids (grass, hashish, marijuana) and the so-called "club drugs" (Ecstasy and other stimulants). All psihoakatvinye dangerous substances in their own way.For example, alcohol is harmful to the liver, tobacco - for light, amphetamines and ecstasy - for the psyche, and opiates (heroin) is rapidly lead to dependence.

With regard to affordable medicines in the pharmacy, which use as a drug, then they basically are kodeinsoderzhaschie drugs. Codeine is not only pain, but opioid. This substance is the same group as heroin.Dependence on them and a similar treatment - too. (Among those drugs - "Terpincod", "Nurofen Plus", "Sedalgin neo", "Kaffetin", "Pentalgin" - Ed). Teens who do not have signs of addiction, they seldom use.

Features of treatment of adolescent

In therapy, these patients focuses on the psychological and pedagogical measures. But in general, if a teenager was detected drug, the clinical signs of this disease is the same as that of an adult. Differences in treatment not principal.

If a child try a drug, cause it "to sound the alarm? In some cases it is sufficient parental suggestion, and in what need to see a doctor?

First, give advice Mama.Ru, do not be afraid! To try drugs did not mean to become an addict. Not all who have tried alcohol, become alcoholics. If you know that your child is using drugs - talk to him. It is important to understand the reasons which prompted him to do so, and the degree of dependence.

If you have a psychologist that you trust and who will be able to correctly and professionally, but hard to communicate with your child - go for it. But if you find a child's symptoms of addiction, withdrawal syndrome (breaking) - run to Narcologist!

Vadim Kirillov