Drug abuse is a serious problem, which is capable of not only causing death to the one using it, but create a havoc in the lives of those who are associated with that person too. There have been plenty cases, whether it is Matthew Perry or the recent death of Liam Payne, which is in trial currently.

It is also a problem in the US and is emerging as one of the health concerns that could destroy families and society. One of the most alarming aspects of drug abuse is also its impact on public safety as well as increased crime rates. Drugs also take a heavy toll on healthcare systems as emergency departments frequently encounter cases of drug overdoses, which puts the burden on medical professional who have the strain the limited resources available.

There are also long-term health impact due to drug abuse, which includes organ damage, infectious disease, mental health disorders and rise in healthcare cost.

Are there any specific drugs which are most abused in US?

Yes. There are commonly used drugs, which also includes prescribed painkillers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and fentanyl, as well as illicit substances like heroin. As per recent data, opioid abuse has also reached alarming levels which has affected millions of Americans.

Here are the most abused drugs in the US:

Stimulants

They are used to increase alertness, attention, and energy. They also have a high potential for abuse due to the euphoric and performance enhancing effects. Cocaine and methamphetamine are notable stimulants frequently abused in the US. As per 2019 data, 10.3 million people reported to misuse stimulants in the previous year.

Depressants

These substances are used to slow down brain activity and induce relaxation. Benzodiazepines is one of the commonly prescribed medicine. Around 4.8 million individuals in the US have misused this drug.

Other misused drugs and its affects on the health:

Opioids:

It could lead to slow breathing and heart rate. It can also increase the risk of overdose and respiratory failure, constipation and a weakened immune system.

Stimulants:

It can elevate heart rate and blood pressure. It could also increase body temperate and lead to an irregular heartbeat. Furthermore, one can experience loss of appetite and weight loss.

Cannabis:

This can alter perception and coordination. People who consume it often have red eyes and a dry mouth. This can increase appetite, sometimes the "munchies" can reach to a point of no return and it could impair memory and cognitive function.

Benzodiazepines:

It could lead to sedation and drowsiness and an impaired coordination and balance. There also could be memory problems and confusion, along with respiratory depression, when combined with other depressant substance.

Alcohol:

This could lead to slurred speech, impaired condition, poor judgment and decision-making, liver damage and cirrhosis and an increased risk of accidents and injuries, which is the 3rd most leading cause of death in the US.

Additional Negative Impact: Social and psychological

Substance abuse impairs job performance and reliability, leading to frequent absenteeism, reduced productivity, and even job loss. This further leads to financial instability, strained relationships, and a cycle of dependency.

When a child struggles with anxiety, loneliness or a personal problem, turning to a trusted adult can offer reassurance, perspective and human connection. But today, children are increasingly seeking advice from an AI chatbot on their phones, often without adult supervision.

Young people are increasingly turning to AI chatbots, not just for homework help but also for relationship advice and emotional support, raising questions about how these tools could shape the way children seek help.

A study of nearly 40,000 students in Canada, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that more than one in five reported using generative AI for affective purposes, including emotional support or advice. The students were in grades 4 through 12, with an average age of nearly 13 years.

Among those who used AI for emotional support or advice, 57.7% had emotional problem scores above a clinical threshold, compared with 29.2% of those who did not report such use. The findings do not establish that AI use causes emotional problems, but suggest that young people already experiencing distress may be more likely to turn to chatbots.

So what does this mean for children's help-seeking behavior, and are adequate safeguards in place?

Why Children Are Turning To AI For Emotional Support

Also read: Children’s Mental Health Often Goes Unnoticed: Can India’s New School Policy Change That?

Child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Kavita Arora of the India Mental Health Alliance (IMHA) told HealthandMe that children may turn to chatbots when they feel anxious or are dealing with issues they are uncomfortable sharing with others. They may eventually begin treating a chatbot almost like a person with whom they have a relationship.

While a trusted adult can offer human connection and perspective, a chatbot provides immediate, seemingly personal responses that children can accept or act on without supervision.

“The concern is that there is currently no way to measure the impact these AI tools are having on children or their development or mental health, because there is no mechanism to collect data on how they are being used or the responses children are receiving,” Dr. Arora said.

She warned that these products lack adequate monitoring mechanisms and established child-oriented safeguards, raising the possibility that their effects may become clear only after harm has occurred. She compared this to the early years of social media, when safeguards were largely absent.

Could AI Change How Children Seek Professional Help?

Children generally need to involve a parent, teacher or another concerned adult to access a mental health professional. Open-access AI chatbots, however, offer a private and readily available alternative without equivalent, transparent safeguarding arrangements.

Dr. Arora warned that children could begin to see professional mental health services as difficult to access while viewing chatbots as an easier option. The potential implications for children experiencing anxiety, loneliness or suicidal thoughts remain insufficiently understood.

Can AI Chatbots Reinforce Anxiety Or Unhealthy Beliefs?

Read More: 1 In 7 Indians Affected By Mental Health Disorders; Govt To Launch NIMHANS-2 To Boost Care

Researchers and parents do not necessarily know what children share with chatbots or how these systems respond.

A child might say, “I am scared of the monster under my bed,” or ask, “Do you think I look good?” Neither statement automatically indicates an underlying mental health or body image problem. The chatbot must interpret what the child is trying to communicate, and that interpretation may not capture the full context.

Dr. Arora also raised concerns about how chatbots respond when children show signs of distress. Simply directing a child to an adult may not be an adequate safety mechanism.

Mental health professionals working with children operate within ethical and safeguarding frameworks, with requirements relating to competence and supervision. AI systems need safeguards that account for children's particular vulnerabilities, she said.

Dr. Mimansa Singh Tanwar, head of the Fortis School National Mental Health Program at Adayu and Fortis Healthcare, cautioned that AI responses can reinforce anxiety or unhealthy beliefs. Because chatbots respond to the context users provide, they may struggle to offer a different perspective, potentially creating an echo chamber.

What Safeguards Should AI Companies Put In Place?

Dr. Arora said AI companies must build child-safety safeguards into products before release. Personalization can make chatbots particularly engaging for teenagers, while monitoring their interactions raises privacy concerns, making oversight and audits essential.

Commercial interests must not outweigh child health, and schools and communities should teach children about AI's limitations and responsible use to avoid repeating the social media experience.

Who Is Responsible When Children Need Human Help?

READ: Women Turning to AI for Health Detection: Helpful Tool or Risky Trend?

AI companies bear primary responsibility, Dr. Arora said, though parents, teachers, caregivers and policymakers also play a role in ensuring children receive appropriate support.

“At the very least, when an interaction moves beyond a genuine educational or learning need, it should be redirected towards appropriate human support,” she said.

Why Human Support Still Matters

Dr. Tanwar told HealthandMe that AI chatbots can appeal to children because they are easily accessible and often designed to respond empathetically. They may help users reflect on concerns and consider possible solutions, but they do not necessarily replace the support provided by mental health professionals, family members or friends.

She warned that increased chatbot use could lead to emotional dependence, particularly among children. Parents, teachers and mentors should maintain regular conversations with young people and encourage real-world relationships.

The goal, she said, should be to ensure AI complements rather than replaces human interaction and support.

Mental health struggles among young children and teens are most likely to get overlooked due to many reasons. That is one of the glaring problems that prompted 16-year-old Imaan Zara Khan to write and direct Unspoken, a movie that follows four teenagers from different social, cultural, and economic backgrounds who navigate their mental health struggles.

Imaan told HealthandMe, "We constantly tell young people to speak up, but what happens when they don’t have the words for what they’re feeling? And even when they do, there’s the fear of being judged, misunderstood or simply not taken seriously. The social visibility cost is simply too high. So, they choose silence instead. I wanted to explore that silence, because sometimes the biggest barrier to seeking help comes long before someone actually asks for it."

The Ministry of Education, Government of India, recently reviewed the draft school mental health policy to foster students' mental wellbeing. The landmark move aims at ensuring adequate resources to protect students' mental well-being by strengthening school systems. Scaling up proven best practices to promote student mental health and psychosocial well-being is one of the primary objectives of the policy.

On World Mental Health Day, we review the government's initiative to comprehend its importance and urgency amid expanding mental health crisis in India's young population.

School Mental Health Policy Aims To Reshape Mental Care For Young Children

Also read: Childhood Fitness Linked To Lower Risk Of Depression In Adulthood: 30-Year Study

The policy entails several key measures to reshape mental healthcare in educational institutions. From identifying early signs of academic stress to proactive screening, it says that schools must routine mental wellness checkups into their academic calendars.

Nandita Bhatla, Vice President and Country Director, WorldBeing India, an international non-profit that works towards integrating mental health wellbeing programs into education systems, told HealthandMe, "India has done well to break the silence. Yet the loss of young lives to suicide tells us that too many children still feel they have nowhere to turn, and that listening cannot wait for a crisis."

She added, "The harder, more important work is making care a routine part of a school day, owned and led by governments, and not dependent on a single programme or a single champion. Schools are the lived reality of millions of our children. When they become spaces to build resilient, hopeful individuals and not mere academic achievers, we know we are on the right path."

The draft also stresses upon building an inclusive and supportive school culture built on a strong foundation of empathy, care, and mutual trust.

The policy also moves away from emergency crisis management. Instead, it aims to create robust, long-term support systems that could help children thrive and stay motivated towards building their future.

Imaan said mental health problems should not be treated as emergencies. She said, "Just as we build physical health through everyday habits, schools should be building emotional resilience, coping skills and mental-health literacy from an early age. But equally important is having a clear, transparent, end-to-end framework that everyone, whether it’s a student, teacher or parent, can understand and navigate."

Also read: Over 2 Hours of Daily Screen Time Linked to Depression, Obesity In Young People: Lancet

Turning Teachers Into Mentors

The policy also focuses on training teachers to be primary mentors for students who could interact with them every day and recognise early signs of conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression. According to the policy, teachers will be trained to identify changes in behaviours and academic burnout.

This does not mean that teachers will replace professional counselors. Additionally, this effort also urges parents to monitor domestic environments.

The policy also plans to channel traditional Indian Knowledge Systems to promote mental wellness among students. It urges schools to integrate mindfulness practices into everyday student activities.

It promotes that these ancient practices can equip students to handle academic pressure, especially during stressful board examinations. The updated curriculum will now support both cognitive growth and development and psychological well-being.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way people work. Tasks that once required hours of effort can now be completed in minutes; therefore, organizations are increasingly using AI tools to improve productivity, reduce costs, and streamline operations. These changes have brought both excitement and fear along with them. That is, will my skills still matter in the future?

The fear of becoming irrelevant in an AI-driven workplace is becoming a source of anxiety for employees across industries. Beyond concerns about job security, many are struggling with the pressure to learn new technologies, keep up with changing expectations and prove their value in an environment where machines are becoming increasingly capable.

The Pressure To Prove Oneself

Workplace anxiety surrounding AI does not always stem from the possibility of losing a job. Sometimes, it comes from the feeling that one must constantly do more to remain employable.

Employees who have spent years developing expertise in a particular field may find it unsettling to see AI tools perform parts of their work in seconds. Writers, designers, analysts, customer service professionals and even experienced managers are being encouraged to adapt to new technologies, often while managing their existing responsibilities.

For some, this creates a persistent sense of falling behind. Learning new tools becomes less about professional growth and more about avoiding obsolescence. The pressure can be particularly challenging when employees are uncertain about which skills will remain valuable or how quickly their roles might change.

Professionals’ Fear Of Uncertainty Affects Mental Health

Prolonged uncertainty about one's career can affect emotional well-being. Employees may experience stress, irritability, difficulty concentrating, disrupted sleep or a loss of confidence in their abilities. Some may begin comparing their productivity with AI-generated outputs, overlooking the judgement, experience and context they bring to their work.

There is also the pressure to demonstrate constant productivity. When technology makes it possible to complete tasks faster, employees may feel expected to produce more within the same working hours. What initially appears to be a tool for reducing workloads can, in some workplaces, create an expectation of doing more with less time.

Over time, this pressure can contribute to exhaustion and burnout, particularly when employees have little control over how new technologies are introduced or how their performance is measured.

However, not everyone experiences AI in the same way. Some employees welcome the opportunity to learn, experiment and move away from repetitive tasks. The impact often depends on individual circumstances, workplace culture, access to training and the level of uncertainty surrounding employment.

The Importance Of A Supportive Workplace

Employers have an important role to play in reducing unnecessary anxiety during technological transitions. Introducing AI without explaining its purpose can leave employees filling information gaps with their own fears.

Clear communication about how AI will affect specific roles, what changes employees can expect and which skills they should develop can help reduce uncertainty. Training should be accessible and practical, allowing employees to learn without feeling that they must master every new tool immediately.

Managers should also recognize that productivity is not the only measure of an employee's contribution. Critical thinking, creativity, communication, ethical judgement and the ability to understand people remain important aspects of professional work.

Creating opportunities for employees to ask questions, express concerns and participate in decisions about AI adoption can help build trust. Organisations should also pay attention to signs of excessive workload, disengagement and burnout rather than assuming that employees will automatically adapt.

Finding A Healthier Relationship With AI

For employees, it may help to approach AI as a skill to develop rather than a competition to win. Identifying the tools relevant to one's role, learning at a manageable pace and strengthening skills that complement technology can make change feel less overwhelming.

It is equally important to recognize that professional worth cannot be measured solely by speed or the number of tasks completed. Experience, sound judgement, empathy and accountability continue to shape meaningful work. If anxiety begins to interfere with sleep, daily functioning or relationships, seeking support from a mental health professional may be helpful.

AI will continue to change the workplace, but the transition does not have to come at the cost of employee well-being. Organizations that combine technological progress with honest communication, meaningful training and respect for their workforce are more likely to create environments in which people can adapt with confidence.

Ultimately, the question is not simply whether employees can keep pace with AI. It is whether workplaces can evolve in ways that allow people to feel secure, valued and capable of growing alongside it.

(By Shilpi Saraswat, Clinical Psychologist, Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru)