What is Volatile Substance?
Inhalants, also called “volatile substances” or “solvents” used by inhalation, are volatile compounds of aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons, including kerosene, adhesives, paint thinners and spray paints, less commonly halogenated hydrocarbon cleaners, typewriter correction fluid, and various esters, ketones, and glycols.
What are the effects of volatile substances (inhalants)?
Volatile substances are usually not individual pure substances, but rather compound substances that are a mixture of many substances with psychoactive effects. It is often difficult to determine the main substance that causes intoxication or addiction. If there is no information that a pure substance is used, it would be more accurate to name the disorder with the general term “volatile”.
*Symptoms immediately after sniffing include nausea, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, tiredness, fatigue, lack of coordination, and loss of appetite.
*Sniffed in spray form reduces heart and respiratory rate, long-term use damages the brain and liver, and the ability to think and reason is impaired.
*Sniffing the volatile deeply or in large quantities in a short time will produce great aggression, confusion and disorientation, unconsciousness and death may occur. High concentrations will cause suffocation because it displaces oxygen in the lungs or depresses the respiratory center in the central nervous system.
*Long-term use causes weight loss, exhaustion, muscle fatigue and electrolyte imbalance in the blood. Continuous use damages the nervous system.
1-Outpatient Treatment:
Outpatient inhalant use treatment is applied to those whose inhalant addiction is gradually developing and who do not have complaints requiring hospitalization. Outpatient addiction treatment initially consists of 3 meetings per week for a period of 1 month. Patients who do not require a decontamination program can be admitted directly to an outpatient program. It can be applied after detoxification treatment, or directly to medical treatment and psychological support program in patients who do not require detoxification treatment. Outpatient treatment includes individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy and medication as well as other psychosocial support programs. Families are also informed and supported through interviews in the program. If 1 month of treatment is not enough, the program can be extended according to need and demand. Patients who fail in the outpatient program are provided with inpatient treatment.
2-Inpatient Volatile Substance Treatment
At Pembe Köşk Psychiatric Hospital, inpatient treatment programs are provided for volatile substance addicts, those who require an intensive psychological rehabilitation program and drug therapy, or those who are unsuccessful in outpatient treatment.
During the minimum 21-day inpatient treatment program, the patient’s motivation for treatment is provided with drug treatment under the supervision of a specialist, and in addition, the patient is subject to an intensive daily treatment program. Throughout the treatment, one-on-one psychological interviews are held with the patient accompanied by a psychologist to solve psychological problems, and in addition to substance treatment, daily medical treatments are carried out by a medical doctor in our center, and patients are under medical control 24 hours a day.
The content of psychological interviews includes topics such as substance use history, substance effects, self-evaluation, addiction, high-risk situations, coping with the desire and urge to use substances, resisting insistence, coping with substance-related thoughts, coping with anger, and decision-making.
If the patient wishes, he/she can stay in the treatment center for a long time and benefit from psychological treatment and rehabilitation programs.
Rehabilitation Program:
After the initial 21-day detoxification treatment period, suitable patients are admitted to the rehabilitation program. Rehabilitation and psychosocial support programs are conducted for a minimum of 1 month and extend to 2 months, 3 months and 6 months. It is generally preferred that patients stay in the treatment center for at least 3 months.
In the inpatient program, patients participate in daily psychiatric consultation, individual psychological therapy, group therapy, occupational therapy, life skills training, activities such as walking, sports and spa, yoga and movie watching. In addition to all these treatment and rehabilitation program activities, families are also interviewed. Each patient has a psychiatric consultation throughout the day, individual and group therapy with 3 different psychologists, a psychological counseling session for life skills training, a medical doctor check-up for medical problems, and activity programs with experts for sports, hiking, spa and yoga programs. These applications are performed under the control of a doctor and nurse for 24 hours.
All-Day Rehabilitation Program
08:30-09.00 Starting the day and preparation
09.00-10.00 Breakfast
10.00-11.00 Good Morning Group Meeting
11.00-11.30 Coffee Break-Rest Time
11.30-12.30 Training Hour (life skills training)
12.30-13.30 Lunch
13.30-15.00 Occupational Therapy
15.00-16.00 Individual Psychological Interview
15.00-17.00 Psychiatric Interview
17:00-18:00 Sports (walking, swimming, etc.), Spa.
18.00-19.00 Dinner
20.00-22:30 Movie Time
In addition to this program and psychological interviews, family therapies are also provided.
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