NEW DRUGS RAISE PSYCHOSIS WORRIES

A dramatic increase in chemical drug abuse has a local rehabilitation
worker worried about the early diagnosis and proper treatment of psychosis.

Billy Weselowski, executive director of the InnerVisions Recovery
Society of B.C., says the society's strategic plan shows that, as a
result of an increase in crack cocaine and methamphetamine use, many
more young Tri-Cities drug addicts are exhibiting neurological brain
disorders.

"There's a big glut between 18- and 25-year olds using primarily
methamphetamine, and they're well on their way to frying their brains,
for the lack of a better word," Weselowski said. "Crack cocaine and
methamphetamine short-circuit the brain and saturate it with poisons -
they pollute it."

Weselowski said the first few months of an addict's detoxification are
crucial to stabilizing the person's mental health. If an addict hasn't
abused chemical drugs for too long, he said, the brain will snap back
when treatment is received in a safe and controlled environment.

If improvement isn't made in the two-month time frame, however,
recovery workers see an increase in mental health disorders.

"With booze, getting a wet brain is almost irreversible, but it takes
so long to get there," Weselowski said. "With these toxic poisons, it
doesn't take long at all.

"What happens is that you wind up with a person who's got a drug
problem and, as a result, the drug problem has started to develop mood
disorders. Now we're in a real sticky wicket."

InnerVisions, as part of its strategic plan process, brought in a
physician to train staff about the phenomenon of "dual diagnosis" -
when patients are diagnosed with not only drug addiction but mental
health problems. Those addicts, Weselowski said, require new expertise
in recovery programs.

Another concern, he said, is where patients receive those recovery
programs.

Maple Cottage Detox Centre recently introduced a home withdrawal and
management program, a pilot project for people 19 and older who can
complete detox in their homes with the support of a nurse.

The six-month pilot project, aimed at supplementing Maple Cottage's 22
detox beds for men and women (three of which can be used to
accommodate 14 to 18 year olds), would include carefully screened
patients whose home and family supports are deemed adequate.

"Detoxing doesn't have to take place within the walls of a centre,"
Susan McKela, Maple Cottage manager of health services, said in a news
release. "This is an opportunity for us to promote an effective
continuum of detox services that can possibly better meet the needs of
some of our clients, and at the same time increase access to our
services to more individuals in need of support."

Weselowski said having nurses address the medical needs of the patient
is a good step, but the recovery environment is first and foremost.

"I think it's a noble idea on their part, but it's all about health.
They don't come from the place of saving souls," he said.

"The medical evidence we've discovered for a certain profile of people
is that not only do they need detox, they need a low-intensity, safe
environment for a while to let the mind recover."

For information about drug detoxification, call:

* InnerVisions Recovery Society: 604-465-8812.
* Maple Cottage Detox Centre: 604-660-9787.
* Fraserside Community Services Society: 604-522-3722.