Bhamjee seeks tighter alcohol restrictions

A FORMER mental health professional has called for tighter restrictions on the sale of alcohol to young people in an effort to curb increases in depression.

According to retired consultant psychiatrist, Dr Moosajee Bhamjee, the number of people suffering from depression in Ireland is on the way up.
“Depression is fairly widespread and it is increasing now with the financial situation in the country. It is extending to all ages and both genders. One third of admissions to psychiatric hospitals now are people with depression according to the Health Research Board (HRB),” Dr Bhamjee.
Dr Bhamjee called for young people to be educated about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption and for more responsible service of alcohol in bars.
“For me I think we need to look at alcoholism and binge drinking and the behaviour of young people when they are highly intoxicated. I think we have to educate young people not to drink from the top shelf, the vodkas and the whiskeys that young people are now drinking, because we are seeing a lot of liver sclerosis in young people.
“Maybe if the publicans looked at not serving young people vast quantities of this alcohol in one glass, treble or quadruple measures, straight and late at night, that would be a start,” he stated.
“The message is not getting through at the moment because young people want to get quick highs and drinking straight vodkas and whiskeys gives you that, rather than drinking a reasonable amount of beer over a longer period. Together with that, the music that is played in a lot of pubs and discos have faster beats to it, maybe that is related to the speed at which people drink,” he continued.
Dr Bhamjee also warned that as well as doing damage to young people’s health, a round system is also negatively impacting their pocket.
“Young people have a round system but the older people have moved from it. Because of this, young people are not drinking at their own pace or limiting what they are drinking so they are spending vast amounts of money when they go out at night,” he explained.
The Ennis-based retiree also attributed some of increase in depression diagnoses to the country’s financial problems.
“The current economic situation is resulting in mild to moderate depression, together with a high level of anxiety and stress in people who are under pressure. The negativity in the country affects everybody too. Most people are now conversing mainly about the state of the economy and, in the last few days, mainly about the Budget and how it will affect us all. All this adds to the doom and gloom around us and pervades into our bodies and minds,” he outlined.
Dr Bhamjee hit international headlines this week after advocating the addition of lithium to water supplies in an effort to curb levels of depression. He made the comments at a mental health forum on Depression in Rural Ireland in Ennistymon on Thursday.
Speaking to The Clare Champion, Dr Bhamjee reiterated this view.
“Research in the British Journal of Psychiatry, published earlier this year, says that where the lithium levels are high in the water, people don’t get so stressed or develop so much psychiatric problems. Others did research into this area and did not find any difference,” he explained.
“There are side effects in normal circumstances where one is taking high doses yes, but the levels we are talking about no, there would be no side effects to the doses,” he added.
Dr Bhamjee also advocated investigating another possible addition to the water supply.
“There is something to be said for Vitamin D. It comes from sunlight and if it is taken by people it helps in well being.
“One time the medical profession were laughing at Omega 3 but now they are all prescribing it to help with oiling the joints and to help with the mental state of people,” he concluded.