Priory praises Coronation Street storyline
PRIORY GROUP PRAISES CORONATION STREET STORYLINE
3/8/09
As Coronation Street's Joe McIntyre spirals out of control due to his addiction to painkillers, experts at the Priory Group are warning that the problem is becoming more prevalent in society.
Some estimates put the number of Britons who are dependent to over-the-counter drugs and prescription drugs to be around 2 million.
As Europe's leading independent provider of acute mental health services, the Priory Group has consultants who regularly deal with issues of dependence and inappropriate use of substances.
The guidelines for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain state that pharmacists and their staff must be aware of the abuse potential of certain over the counter products, and should not supply them if there are reasonable grounds for suspecting misuse.
Dr Ash Kahn, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Group said: "When most of us think about prescription drugs, we think about substances that improve our health and well-being. However, medication use also can have a dark side for some individuals.
"While the misuse of drugs has been more publicised with regards to adolescent use, adults are a fast growing part of the population who are grappling with issues around the misuse of drugs such as painkillers.
"The effects of medication abuse can be very dangerous. Misuse of over-the-counter or prescription drugs can lead to dependence that is both physical and mental.
"Dependence is characterised by a change in the person's behaviour where the continued use assumes a greater importance in that person's life - for example they become preoccupied as to when they will be able to use the substance again.
"Dependence in itself may result in patients spending a significant amount of their income on obtaining the drug. As the dependence develops their emotional state may change. They may initially become secretive, suffer with bouts of irritability, increased moodiness, depression and outbursts of anger.
"This has been dramatically portrayed in the Coronation Street storyline as the character becomes more and more desperate to source painkillers but hides this dependence from his partner and family.
"Using high-profile soap characters to portray this type of addiction, if done credibly, sensitively and with adequate research can help break down barriers and highlight important issues that are often not well-documented."
For further information please call 0845 2 774679 or email info@priorygroup.com
More related news »