Patients with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and psychiatrists are once again calling on the government to revert to branded medication as the current treatment is having a detrimental effect on some children and adults.
Two years ago, patients who reacted poorly to a change in ADHD treatment – from a branded medication to a generic one – were investigated by an inquiry after mental health professionals and parents of children raised the alarm that some were regressing.
The side effects were having an impact on sleeping patters, appetite, aggression and anxiety among others, and the switchover had even seen a person losing their job within three months, Times of Malta has been told.
Medical organisations on Thursday welcomed the proposed decriminalisation of cannabis and applauded the government’s commitment to direct users to treatment rather than criminal justice.
But their endorsement also included a list of warnings about regular use of the drug.
According to the proposed reform, cannabis users will be allowed to grow their own plants at home and legally carry up to seven grams of the drug for personal use.
In a position paper, the Maltese Association of Psychiatry (MAP) warned that early regular use is associated with symptoms of psychosis and bipolar disorder in younger people.
It noted that cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance among Maltese youths and it said it can affect brain maturation in a negative way.
Infamous Mount Carmel must be tackled, say mental health professionals timesofmalta.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesofmalta.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thirty-seven civil society organisations on Tuesday expressed concern about the fate of over 100 men, women and children reportedly in distress at sea.
Times of Malta reported on Sunday that a group of 110 people may be unaccounted for, with emergency hotline NGO Alarm Phone accusing the Armed Forces of Malta of ordering a rescue vessel to leave the scene of the drifting boat the migrants were in.
In a statement, the 37 organisations noted that these people were “in distress in Malta’s search and rescue zone” in the past days and that a ship that was willing to rescue them, “was prevented from doing so by Malta”.
Lack of investment in Mt Carmel Hospital cannot be allowed to continue timesofmalta.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesofmalta.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.