The research found that a fifth of these young people had deliberately overdosed at some stage and more than half had seen a psychiatrist.
The study, one of the largest undertaken internationally on this particular group, highlights a background of severe disadvantage, family dysfunction and mental health problems.
The research was carried out by the Drug Treatment Centre Board, the longest established addiction treatment clinic in the country. The Young Persons Programme is a treatment service for under 19-year-olds in the Dublin clinic.
Researchers examined the background of 86 young people, with an average age of 17, being treated for opiates (heroin or heroin and methadone) between October 2000 and September 2006. It found:
The average age of leaving school was 14. Almost half had a sibling with a heroin problem. Nearly a third had a history of being in care. Half had criminal convictions and most were facing charges.
A quarter were positive for hepatitis C, a potentially fatal liver disease. Half had been homeless at some stage.
“These young people come from a background of major disadvantage, family dysfunction and psychiatric co-morbidity,” said the report. “Complete abstinence may not be their priority in seeking treatment. Indeed, they may be seeking relief from the overall chaos and instability in their lives.”
The report, published in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, said 54% of the group were female. It said half of the group first tried heroin after leaving school and this highlighted a “missed opportunity” to intervene before some of them progressed to heroin.
The report follows the publication yesterday by the HSE of a review of alcohol and drug use in the south-east.
The HSE study, first published in the Irish Examiner last week, highlights a sharp rise in treatment for heroin and cocaine in the area.
Source: Cormac O'Keefe, The Irish Examiner, 26/08/2008 2008
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