Picture Source: (Wikipedia, 2020)
When I dived into research on global Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment approaches, I was hopeful that I would find differences between the U.S. and how other countries treat SUD. And, I did. Portugal is progressive and provides a holistic menu of services, France is not as progressive with policies but does a great job with access, and then there is Russia… a model for what not to do.
In 2010, there were a reported 2.5 million SUD patients in Russia and by 2013 that number had jumped to 8.5 million, 6% of their population (Quinn, 2020). When it comes to SUD, Russia is punitive at all levels: their policies and treatment program. Drug use is criminalized in this country like many others. The Russian healthcare system is public and treats these patients in special centers away from the mainstream. SUD patients are thought of as weaklings. Stigma is not being addressed because these patients are viewed as defective members of society (Golichenko, Sarang, Levinson, et al, 2018). Patients that seek treatments are denied basic rights to jobs and identity cards. In other hands, the government ties their hands and purposefully makes them outcasts.
The public SUD programs in Russia are run by Addiction Specialists. These professionals subject their patients to non-evidence and very questionable treatment approaches in order to “cure them” of their ailment such as shock-therapy and bringing their body temperature up to dangerous levels, etc. Patients are by all accounts belittled, humiliated, and denied basic rights that allow them to function in society. Russia does not follow the medication-assisted treatment approach that has been so successful in France, Portugal, and U.S. Private clinics for SUD that use westernized approaches do exist in Russia, however, these centers are cost-prohibitive for most of their citizens (Golichenko, Sarang, Levinson, et al, 2018).
Adding to the problem, the Russian government is secretive about the amplitude of this problem. One thing international experts agree on is that the problem of drug addiction in Russia is getting worse and not being addressed properly (Quinn, 2020). Russia’s proximity to Afghanistan and the Opioid trade compounds the problem, but it’s not the only challenge. Indeed, Russia’s approach is at fault here. Their policies are creating a barrier to treatment and to longterm recovery (Galeotti, 2016).
8.5 million SUD patients, or 6% of Russian population, in 2013 were not getting the treatment they deserved. No doubt that by now that number has increased. This is a humanitarian crisis. The international community needs to apply pressure on Russia to tackle this health crisis in a more humane and evidence-based way.
Sources
Galeotti, M. (2016). Narcotics and nationalism: Russian drug policies and futures. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Galeotti-Russia-final.pdf
Golichenko, M., Sarang, A., Levinson, L., Torban, M., Cohen, J., Ezer, T. (2018). General Assembly. (1970, January 1). Human rights in patient care: drug treatment and punishment in Russia. Retrieved from https://publichealthreviews.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40985-018-0088-5
Quinn, A. (2020, February 9). No rehab for Russia’s drug addicts. Retrieved from
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/06/25/no-rehab-for-russias-drug-addicts-a36746
Alexa's Global Health Blog 
1 Comment