Nearly 100 people suffer from mental disorders due to alcohol abuse

According to information from Lang Son Provincial General Hospital, in the first quarter of 2024, the Hospital's Department of Psychiatry and Neurology received and treated nearly 100 patients with mental disorders due to alcohol abuse.

The patients are mainly men of working age and residing in rural areas. One of them is patient HVT, 43 years old, in Van Lang district, Lang Son. The patient was admitted to the hospital in a state of delirium, emotional disturbance, hallucinations, convulsions... After examination, the doctors diagnosed the patient with a mental disorder due to alcohol abuse and prescribed treatment according to the Ministry of Health's protocol.

Lạng Sơn: Gần 100 người mắc rối loạn tâm thần do lạm dụng rượu- Ảnh 1. — A patient with mental disorder is being treated at Lang Son General Hospital. Photo: BVCC

The patient's family shared that the patient often drank alcohol, many times only drinking alcohol without eating or sleeping, causing seizures and delirium. Previously, the patient had been taken to the hospital twice for treatment, but after recovering, he continued drinking alcohol at home. This was the third time the patient had been hospitalized for mental disorders caused by alcohol abuse.

Doctor Trinh Thi Viet Ha, Deputy Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Lang Son General Hospital, said that compared to previous years, the rate of alcohol-induced mental disorders being treated at the Department is increasing from 5% to 10% and is getting younger in age.

Recently, the Department has been admitting 1-2 patients a day for treatment of alcohol-related mental disorders. Most of the patients are admitted in serious condition, with many comorbidities such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease, stomach disease, etc.

In particular, many patients suffer from delirium tremens with symptoms such as: delirium, irritability, uncontrolled emotions, screaming, cursing, anxiety, panic, hallucinations, beating people, causing injury to themselves and those around them...

This is the most common and serious complication of alcohol abuse. It is also called “alcohol withdrawal”. The cause of delirium tremens is alcohol-induced neurotoxicity and metabolic disorders.

The disease appears after stopping drinking alcohol for about 12 - 48 hours with prominent symptoms of delirium-like consciousness disorders and neurological disorders, the patient may experience epileptic seizures.

According to Dr. Viet Ha, alcohol-induced psychosis is the result of long-term alcohol abuse, causing direct damage to the brain and internal organs, causing metabolic disorders in the body, making the disease complicated and difficult to treat. Doctors must closely monitor the patient's developments and symptoms to treat the patient with medication, while also providing mental encouragement and psychological support to the patient and the patient's family throughout the treatment process.

Most patients respond well to treatment in the hospital. However, the treatment of mental disorders and withdrawal for alcohol abusers is not as difficult as the maintenance and prevention of alcohol use relapse for patients in the family and community.

" In fact, many patients relapse into alcohol use after treatment, and many patients are frequently hospitalized for alcohol-related mental disorders. Therefore, patients themselves need to have the willpower and determination to give up alcohol, and at the same time comply with the treatment regimen and psychological therapy as instructed by the doctor. Families and society need to persistently encourage patients to give up the habit of drinking alcohol, and should not discriminate or shun them, but should help them reintegrate into the community, " Dr. Ha emphasized.

From this case, doctors recommend that when seeing a patient showing signs of mental disorder due to alcohol, the family should immediately take the patient to a medical facility for proper treatment, and should not self-treat at home.

In addition, each citizen needs to raise awareness of the harmful effects of alcohol on physical and mental health and quality of life. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle, minimizing the use of alcohol, tobacco and stimulants to avoid affecting health.

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