The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Sniffing solvents and snuffing out adolescence

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Sniffing solvents and snuffing out adolescence

Ramya Kannan

Children visit Institute of Mental Health for curing addiction to glue-sniffing

— Photo: R. Ragu

FREAK-OUT: A young boy in Korattur in the process of sniffing glue.

CHENNAI: Psychiatrists in the city are reporting increasing cases of adolescents falling prey to a unique form of addiction — glue, or solvent sniffing.

Easy and cheap to purchase or procure substances like glue, adhesives, thinners and rubber solutions are being used by young boys especially in the 10-14 age group, according to K. Raman, a psychiatrist at Sri Ramachandra University, Porur. Social worker Logabiram said a large number of children are coming in with similar addictions, especially from Korattur.

Inhalants are volatile substances that produce chemical vapours that can be inhaled to induce a mind-altering effect, Dr.Raman explained. Prolonged sniffing of concentrated chemicals can even lead to sudden death.

A study on Street Children and Drug Abuse, done two years ago by R. Thilagaraj of the Madras University Criminology Department and Paul Sunder Singh of Karunalaya, an NGO, confirms these disturbing trends and 63.9 per cent of street children interviewed in Chennai and Madurai said they had started sniffing solvents in order to “pass time.” Over 22 per cent confessed that they did it to “keep themselves happy.”

In the adolescent clinic at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), every week a number of children troop in with their parents seeking to cure their addiction to glue-sniffing, according to S. Nambi, psychiatrist, IMH. Mr.Singh says the practice shows no signs of dying down in Chennai’s slums. With easy access to solvents in mechanic shops, children who live off the streets seek some solace in the addiction. In the study, it became clear that half the children said they were spending about Rs.50 to buy the fluids; they also share the substances with other boys.

Ratheesh*, a 12-year old in Korattur, who began to sniff adhesives after boys in the locality lured him, said he never paid. The older boys get the money, or the gang of four who sniff together, pick up trash and glass bottles and sell them to buy the substances. “I feel faint after inhaling the glue. The feeling lasts only five minutes. After this, we roam the streets,” he recounted.

The problem is that these children have little, if any, support from the family, said Jesu Irudayam who founded Nesakkaram SEEDS to work with street children. They look to intoxication as an escape from their harsh realities.

Once they start using, forced by peer pressure, the dosage has to be increased and progresses to alcohol and sometimes, drugs. “We have seen children as young as 7- 8 years sniffing glue. They are generally weak, the brain development is slow, and they have anaemia and low resistance,” Fr.Jesu added.

Glue sniffing is typical of what psychiatrists call “conduct disorder” in adolescents, Dr.Nambi explained. It is found mostly in children who have disorganised families, are depressed or isolated. “Solvent dependence is just the tip of the iceberg. The real problem is likely something else. If we do not tackle the root cause, it might lead to anti-social personality disorders,” he said.

(* Name changed)

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