Drugs affect mental health

The National Health Watch

How drugs may affect you
It is difficult to predict how you will react to a drug.
You may react differently to the same drug at different times or in different situations. This may differ depending on:

  • THE type of drug;
  • WHETHER the drug has been mixed with other substances, and what these other substances are;
  • THE amount you take;
  • THE situation or social state in which you take it;
  • HOW often you take it;
  • YOUR previous experience;
  • WHAT you want and expect to happen; and,
  • YOUR mental state at the time.

If you have a history of poor mental health, you may be more likely to experience negative effects with illegal drugs. If you have previously had no mental health problems, you may still develop symptoms of a mental health problem from using these drugs.

Regular use
If you use drugs a lot, or become dependent on them, this can have a negative impact on your day-to-day life. For example, it could lead to problems with:

  • MONEY;
  • EDUCATION and employment;
  • RELATIONSHIPS;
  • HOUSING;
  • LOW self-esteem;
  • FUNDING it hard to maintain commitments, including appointments related to your drug use or mental health;
  • CRIME – either in possessing an illegal substance or to finance a habit, leading to a criminal record; and,
  • IMPRISONMENT.

If you take drugs, remember:

  • YOU don’t always know what is in them;
  • IT can be difficult to guess how you will react;
  • THEY could contain additional harmful substances;
  • THEY may not contain any of the substance you are expecting;
  • EVEN if you have taken something before, it could have different ingredients or be a different dose.

This is more likely to be the case with illegal highs.

Next week’s edition: What types of drug are there?