Drug addiction disease, new treatment strategy… Recent surge in domestic drug-related crimes
The need for various treatment studies is growing… Acting on the prefrontal cortex that controls impulses
Electronic drugs that can reduce withdrawal symptoms… Rehabilitation apps based on biometric information, etc. are gaining attention
The Korean society was shocked when the drug use incident of college students belonging to a domestic club was revealed. As of 2023, the smuggled drugs detected by the Korea Customs Service amounted to 769 kg. According to data released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in April, 2.6% of teenagers have experience using narcotics. The phrase that Korea is no longer a drug-free country is hitting home.
According to the academic world on the 21st, experts agree that it is time to shift attention from drug-related policies that focus on detection and punishment to policies that focus on treatment. This is because if drug addiction spreads throughout society, it will be difficult to eradicate smuggling or distribution. Drug addiction should be viewed as a disease and an active treatment strategy should be established.
Kang Woong-goo, a professor of psychiatry at Seoul National University College of Medicine, said, “There is no way that drug addicts who know that they will be punished will come to receive treatment.” He added, “Rather than just treating them as criminals, we need to make them realize that addiction is something they cannot control on their own and make them come to receive medical treatment.”
● Treatment varies depending on the type of drug and usage pattern
According to experts, existing drug addiction treatments still have limitations. Koo Ja-wook, a researcher in the Emotional and Cognitive Disorders Research Group at the Korea Brain Research Institute, said, “Drug treatments and cognitive behavioral therapies for drug addiction are often based on symptomatic treatment rather than having detailed scientific evidence,” and “even drugs or devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are only used for certain types of drugs, such as opioids.”
Because the addictiveness varies by drug type, it is not possible to apply a uniform treatment. Professor Kang said, “Ketamine, LSD, ecstasy, and marijuana are drugs that can be used out of curiosity and stopped when you become more mature, but intravenous methamphetamine and opioid drugs such as heroin and fentanyl are not easy to quit.”
The usage pattern also affects addiction. In the case of philopon, it is known that it does not cause strong addiction when taken orally, but it is difficult to get off once intravenous injection begins. The usage pattern can develop into a more fatal situation than the type of drug.
Just as there are no clear treatments for other addictions such as gaming addiction or social media addiction, there are medications to reduce cravings and behavioral treatments to control habits, but there is no clear treatment for drug addiction. Professor Kang said, “Teenagers who have used LSD a few times can stop using it just by cutting off their association with bad friends, but for intravenous methamphetamine users, none of the existing treatments may be effective.”
● Could digital therapeutics be an alternative?
![VR-Will the Era of Quitting Drugs with Electronic Pills Come? VR-Will the Era of Quitting Drugs with Electronic Pills Come?](https://dimg.donga.com/wps/NEWS/IMAGE/2024/08/22/126644865.10.jpg)
Recently, ‘digital therapeutics’ and ‘electronic drugs’ have been gaining attention as new strategies for treating drug addiction. Digital therapeutics are software-based treatments such as apps and virtual reality (VR), and electronic drugs are treatments that apply electrical stimulation to brain nerves. Both treatments have emerged as drug addiction treatment strategies because they enable real-time patient monitoring, allowing for rapid identification and control of addicted patients’ problems.
“Drug addiction is caused by dysfunction and imbalance in the limbic system, which is responsible for reward, and the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for cognitive behavioral control, which leads to excessive impulses, cravings, and withdrawal symptoms,” said Jeong A-ra, manager of the strategic business division of electronic pharmaceutical company New Ain, which is participating in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s “Drug Addiction Treatment Technology Development Project.” “There are studies that have applied neuromodulation technologies, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), to the prefrontal cortex to alleviate craving symptoms.” There is also a case where an electronic drug that attaches to the ear for the purpose of alleviating withdrawal symptoms in opioid addicts received FDA approval. New Ain is looking into a treatment for drug addiction through trigeminal and vagus nerve stimulation.
The Korea Brain Research Institute is researching addiction rehabilitation using digital therapeutics. It plans to create a database of drug types, addiction stages, biosignals, and biological indicators, and then establish a strategy to predict relapse by addictive substance, symptom, and individual, and to estimate rehabilitation prognosis. “A digital app concept rehabilitation system that is easy to access in daily life will increase the feasibility of personalized rehabilitation,” said Koo, the head researcher.
There are also different opinions on the effectiveness of digital therapeutics. Some point out that if you use digital therapeutics in the form of apps frequently while you are mentally exhausted from drug addiction, you may become obsessed with your smartphone. Ultimately, experts advise that we should actively seek out multifaceted approaches, such as encouraging healthy activities and developing new treatment strategies, starting now.
Moon Se-young, Donga Science reporter [email protected]
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2024-08-23 02:38:33