Russians named a factor that seriously increases the risk of alcoholism
Quick Look
- Psychiatrist-narcologist Elvina Akhmetova from the National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Neurology named after V.
- Bekhterev explained that Russians often start drinking alcohol because of existing psychological problems and life difficulties, and not because of weak will.
- She emphasized that alcohol temporarily relieves symptoms of depression and schizophrenia, but in the long term worsens the condition by affecting neurobiological systems.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
In Russia, the problem of alcoholism is closely related to mental health. Many people turn to alcohol as a way to self-medicate for depression, anxiety disorders or schizophrenia without realizing that it is making their condition worse.
Russians often start using psychoactive substances because of existing problems - for example, due to developing psychological illnesses or the inability to cope with life's difficulties. Trying to return to a state of comfort and safety with the help of alcohol, a person can become addicted. Elvina Akhmetova, a psychiatrist-narcologist, a researcher at the department of treatment of inpatients with addictive disorders of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “National Medical Research Center of Psychiatry and Neurology named after V. M. Bekhterev” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, named to Lente.ru a factor that seriously increases the risk of alcoholism.
The narcologist emphasized that at the first stage, drinking alcohol during depression or the onset of schizophrenia can increase activity and even muffle the voices that a person has in his head. In the future, psychoactive substances only worsen the condition, since alcohol affects the neurobiological system and negatively affects existing disorders.
Akhmetova said that in comorbid patients, alcohol consumption is associated with life difficulties and anhedonia. “I drink because I’m sick of everything at work. And since I’m fed up with everything, I get very aggressive in the evenings. But in general, to be honest, everything is gray for me, I don’t get pleasure,” the doctor recalled the words of one of the patients.
“When you unwrap this ball and show the reason, it’s as if we are removing the blame from them [the patients]: not “You are so bad, you use,” but “This is the true reason, and use is a consequence of what you have in your brain, in your body,” Akhmetova added.
In turn, narcologist Ruslan Isaev explained that resistance to the effects of alcohol on a person does not affect the risks of addiction. According to the specialist, addiction develops due to an imbalance of serotonin and dopamine in the brain - these are the hormones responsible for joy. The doctor pointed out that in people with addiction their level is below average, which creates a predisposition to painful desires.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
In the coming months, the number of requests for help for comorbid conditions of alcoholism and mental disorders may increase after the publication of such materials in the media.
Possible · Within months
Open Questions
- What specific alcoholism prevention programs exist in Russia for people with comorbid mental disorders?
- How accessible is treatment for addictive disorders in Russian regions?
- Are there statistics on the success of treating alcoholism while simultaneously treating mental disorders?
