Life of the party at risk

[Dragonfan]

Brisbane Times

Louise Hall, Health Reporter

October 11, 2008

Young professionals who use alcohol and recreational drugs to cope with stressful jobs and long hours have been warned they risk addiction and serious illness. Experts say some people are more susceptible to developing serious psychological conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, which can be triggered by drug and alcohol abuse.

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research is targeting professional Sydney men and women aged between 20 and 35, cautioning that as yet there is no set of tests to pinpoint which individuals are more likely to develop a mental illness.

But David Gilfillan, a clinical psychologist at the Black Dog Institute, said problem drinking and smoking cannabis were often symptoms of an underlying psychological disorder, including depression and anxiety.

Evidence shows people with bipolar disorder are five times more likely to be alcoholics than the general population.

"Very often these people would have been the life of the party, able to get high for hours and hours, but this behaviour may be masking something else," Mr Gilfillan said.

Emergency medicine specialist Michael Novy spent nine years treating substance abuse patients at St Vincent's Hospital and is an adviser to many Sydney dance parties. He says the slide into dependence or psychosis can be sudden and unexpected, even among "weekend" users."It doesn't take long to go from a recreational drug use, which a lot of young people experiment with, to something that dominates your life and destroys your career," he said.

A survey released last week by industry magazine B&T found almost one-fifth of people who work in Australia's media, advertising and marketing industry mix recreational drugs and work to cope with stressful jobs and long hours.

Leonora Long, from the Schizophrenia Research Institute, says there is a link between cannabis and schizophrenia, although it appears to affect healthy people differently from people who have a genetic or environmental predisposition to schizophrenia.

The only worthwhile comment to note in that piece is the last line . . . although it appears to affect healthy people differently from people who have a genetic or environmental predisposition to schizophrenia . . .

[freddie]

Wow, a newspaper article linking booze and mental health problems.

[kiloppo]

ah yes im sure people go to dance parties and are high on weed for hours on end. I guess they're talking about the sweaty people with diluted pupils and a constant thirst for sweet sweet water.

 

dam those party animals.