Experts: Number of women using drugs on the rise, southeastern region lacks rehabilitation centers

In southeastern Albania, the number of people facing mental health challenges, as well as those using narcotic substances, is increasing significantly. According to specialists, there has also been a rise in the number of women and girls using drugs, while the lack of long-term rehabilitation centers in Korçë is making treatment and reintegration into society more difficult.

At the Community Mental Health Center in Korçë, specialists say that growing social problems are worsening the situation for people living with mental health disorders. They point to migration and abandonment by family members as major factors contributing to loneliness, while noting a rise in the number of women and girls using alcohol and narcotic substances.

"These are people who are left alone, lose their family members, or are abandoned because of migration. Psychiatric hospitals are under increasing pressure because many patients are not taken back by their families. The question is: who will care for these people after they leave the hospital? How will they continue their treatment, and who will they live with?

The main challenge is ensuring long-term follow-up and care for people with mental health conditions who are alone and without support. There are long-term rehabilitation centers for drug users, but they are private, expensive, and located outside the region, making them unaffordable. We have found it particularly difficult to rehabilitate female patients. Today, the number of women using alcohol and narcotic substances has increased," said psychiatrist Nikolina Bode.

The psychiatrist stressed that the region needs more public rehabilitation facilities, as current capacities are insufficient to meet the growing demand. She emphasized that rehabilitation should not end when a patient leaves the hospital but should include long-term care and ongoing social support.

"We have two psychiatric residential homes with limited capacity, but the demand is much higher. Given the growing social problems in the southeast, where migration and social isolation are widespread, state-run rehabilitation institutions and trained caregivers are urgently needed to support this vulnerable group," Bode added.

More than 5,000 people in southeastern Albania are living with mental health disorders. Specialists believe that expanding rehabilitation services and strengthening social support remain among the most urgent priorities to prevent the situation from worsening.

“KORÇA BOOM”