Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

The lack <strong>of</strong> epidemiologic research and expertise on treatment and public
awareness <strong>of</strong> the hazards <strong>of</strong> glue sniffing and other solvent abuse and the
ignorance <strong>of</strong> the governing political power led to widespread substanceabusing
behavior by the end <strong>of</strong> the 1970s. A group <strong>of</strong> scientists
attempted to draw the attention <strong>of</strong> the Government to socially deviant
behaviors such as suicide, delinquency, substance abuse, and mental
disturbances, but there was a minimal response taken to prevent such
behaviors. In this way, Hungary delayed facing these social problems for
at least 15 years. Such problems first were criminalized and later
medicalized. Medical doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists, and
sociologists were pioneers in dealing with these clients, counteracting the
traditions, the rules, and the law. This is why there currently are only a
limited number <strong>of</strong> experts, epidemiologists, and other researchers in the
drug field. Not only were epidemiologic studies not performed, but
neither was there research conducted in treatment outcome. Very little
attention has been paid to the legal side <strong>of</strong> the abuse <strong>of</strong> volatile
substances. It is noticeable that data collection is fairly incomplete in the
drug field, not only for the health care system but also for other
nongovernmental agency contacts, such as the various churches (Forgacs
and Katona 1990).
The retrospective studies, conducted mainly by clinicians, are based on
their observations, which do not always meet international requirements
for research on drug abuse. In this chapter, various examples <strong>of</strong> episodic
and local-regional patterns and trends <strong>of</strong> volatile abuse in Hungary will
be presented. The studies were conducted using different methodologies,
demonstrating that no common concept or perception <strong>of</strong> the problem or
reliable measurement exists, potentially leading to misinterpretation <strong>of</strong>
the problem. These studies were conducted at different periods in time
and at different sites. They were conducted during the 1970s and 1980s,
and several are very recent. The studies were conducted in four different
cities representing two cultural-traditional-religious backgrounds rooted
in the Middle Ages, when the country was conquered by the Turks (the
Ottoman Empire) and the Habsburgs (the Austro-Hungarian Empire), and
this way it was divided into two separate parts. This historical
background may partly explain why the findings are so different at
various locations, concerning not only inhalant abuse but other deviant
behaviors such as alcoholism, suicide, and delinquency. The data are not
generalizable because the criteria <strong>of</strong> examination and observation varies
from investigator to investigator. Data on the general population based
on household surveys are not available.
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