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Authority Mental Health Section is still not resolved but it is hoped that 1969 will
bring this about.
Drug Dependency
This important subject and the type of programme devised in this Borough to
deal with it was briefly described in last year's report. The development of this
programme in 1968 continued particularly having regard to the interest shown by
the Department of Education and Science. Further meetings in schools and with
youth groups were personally undertaken by the Principal Medical Officer for
Mental Health.
In August a two day Conference for Head Teachers of secondary schools
and Principals of Colleges was held. The programme was designed to cover
problems of drug addiction among young persons and included lectures on:
"Drugs of Dependency — Their Use and Abuse".
"Legal and Social Aspects of Drug Abuse".
"Signs, Symptoms and Social Consequences with
particular reference to the problem of the 'Drop-out' ".
"The Emotional Disturbance in Adolescence associated
with the risk of Drug Dependency".
Each lecture was followed by small group discussion and time was allowed
for reporting back and speakers' answers. Subsequently a series of six morning
seminars for 30 teachers and assistant lecturers were held. It must be emphasised
that the aim of the seminars was not to make teachers into diagnosticians
of drug addiction but rather to make them more sensitive to those disturbances of
adolescence that make youngsters a possible prey to drugs and most particularly
those young people who are at serious risk because of death of parents, break up of
home or by some other special crisis in their lives. Further programmes of this
kind will be undertaken when the work already done has been properly evaluated.
The Dangerous Drugs Act, 1967 and The Dangerous Drugs (Notification of
Addicts) Regulations 1968 and Dangerous Drugs (Supply to Addicts) Regulations 1968,
came into force during the year. This legal machinery tightened up the supplies
of dangerous drugs from medical sources and was associated with the opening
of the drug addiction centres in various hospitals primarily to deal with the
management of heroin addicts. A close liaison has been built up with those
units where patients from the Borough are being treated and joint measures of
prevention and after care in the field of drug dependency are under active
cons ideration.
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