2006 / 3

Editorial

Stimulants and opioids from the media’s point of view

Media contents represent a possible source for research into general concepts and values. This article summarises the results of research aimed at the media portrait of the use and users of stimulants and opioids. The work explored how the media present the use and users of stimulants and opioids. It was focused not only on the content and the form, but also on the quality of published articles. The data were processed by means of content analysis. Although the use of stimulants and opioids is a very attractive topic, the information offered by the media is rather superficial and one-sided. The media primarily mentioned the illegality of the substances. Only one third of the published articles provide information on their influences and consequences, but the information presented was very sketchy. The media clearly preferred a repressive approach when informing about solutions to the problem of drug use. The benefit of the doubt principle was often violated in articles focused on the causes of crime, because in one fifth of them personal data were published. There is a difference between journalists and drug experts as regards the labelling of users of stimulants and opioids: whereas journalists most often call them “drug addicts”, the cited drug experts most frequently used the term “client” or “user”. 

Factors conducive to change in addicted clients undergoing the process of resocialization

The contribution deals with the factors conducive to positive change in clients who underwent long-termed care and psychotherapy in the resocialization centre. These changes are considered from the view of the clients, who participate in research interview focused on the changes, which came about during their stay in the centre, and on the factors, which stimulated these changes. 10 abstaining clients (9 males, 1 female) with mostly heroin addiction participated in interview and the data received were analyzed with Qualitative Consensual Research (CQR). The analysis gave 14 categories describing factors conducive to change, which were sorted into 4 domains: psychotherapy, internal sources, aspects of the centre, relationships and communication.  The authors formulate conclusion that change of the clients carries out through interaction between his or her internal motivation and centre regime, psychotherapy as well as relationships built in the centre. 

Treatment (non) recommendation in cases of dependence

Due to the fact that according to scientific knowledge a dependence on psychoactive substances is a disease, the doctor who has provided the diagnosis should recommend the treatment for the ill person. Opinions have emerged among legal psychiatric experts that there are situations within the compass of legal expertise when they are not obliged to recommend to the court mandatory treatment for drugs/alcohol of the accused person, despite the diagnosis provided by them. We have discussed and revised the reasons given by these experts on the basis of findings in the literature and our clinical experience. We did not find either legal or medical reasons why mandatory treatment should not be proposed to the court by a medical doctor with legal expertise in the cases of accused persons in whom a diagnosis of dependence on a psychoactive substance has been detected. The subject may express unwillingness to the expert and especially in court, but eventually only the court may or may not order it after the assessment of all the circumstances, even in contradiction of the proposal of the expert or against the wish of the accused person. In the opposite case, if a medical doctor does not propose treatment, he is creating the preconditions for: (1) the reduction of the chances for health improvement of the accused person, (2) the possibility of a more severe punishment for an accused who has not received treatment, with the aim of protecting the community, and (3) it may lead to a belief on the part of the lay community that it is correct to use purely non-medical approaches to solve dependence in individuals.

Drug counselling provided by the Czech phone and internet helplines

In 2005, a survey of Czech phone and internet helplines providing drug counselling was carried out. Its target was to ascertain the present state of this type of counselling and as a result to propose measures to be taken for the creation of optimal conditions for organisations and institutions providing drug counselling.