Research partners from Israel, Egypt and the UCLA
Neuropsychiatric Institute have collaborated to combat substance
abuse in the Middle East.
The researchers spoke Tuesday about their efforts to gather data
about drug abuse in Israel and Egypt, and the cultural and
political hurdles of working together in the Middle East.
“The overarching goal is to use science as a vehicle to
develop cooperation,” said Richard Rawson, the
program’s principle investigator at UCLA, adjunct associate
professor of psychiatric and biobehavioral sciences and the
associate director of the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse
Program.
This project is part of the Middle East Regional Cooperation
program, which was established as a result of the 1978 Camp David
Peace Accords under the United States Agency of International
Development. The program funds collaborative research projects
between Israel and its Arab neighbors to improve relationships and
increase professional interaction.
“This (program) is a step in promoting knowledge transfer
to the region. … It has also been a pioneer in promoting
strategic partnerships,” said Richard Isralowitz, a professor
at the Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
Scientists in the United States use a standardized method to
gather data about patterns of drug usage and users. This method,
known as the Addiction Severity Index, addresses seven potential
problem areas in substance abuse patients: medical status,
employment and support, drug use, alcohol use, legal status, and
social and psychiatric status.
From these standardized findings, cultural trends are identified
and conclusions are drawn by the researchers for treatment and
prevention of drug abuse.
UCLA has been involved in transferring this method and other
substance abuse related knowledge to the Middle East since 1997.
This current collaboration is an extension of an earlier program,
originally started by Isralowitz, which also monitored drug abuse
in Israel and Palestine.
“The exciting thing about (this program is) using the
standardized system with standard questions at different
centers,” said Nasser Loza, a doctor at the Behman Hospital
in Cairo, Egypt.
“It is very important to set up this comparison,”
Loza added.
At the completion of the project, the data will be used to plan
prevention and treatment services according to the needs of the
people.
Before the cooperation program, there was no information on drug
use in the Gaza Strip region. The study found that 5-10 percent of
high school girls in the region were taking a type of tranquilizer
that could be easily obtained at a pharmacy.
“This isn’t likely to disappear in the next few
months or even years, but by having this information collected, it
will be possible to use this information when the time is
right,” Isralowitz said.
The project faces many political and cultural obstacles because
of the current turmoil in the region. In order to make this
collaboration possible in Egypt, the group received logistical
assistance from the United Nations and World Health
organizations.
The cultural stigmas on drug usage also prevent addicts in the
Middle East from seeking the proper treatment.
These stigmas hinder the group’s ability to gather
information from the communities. For instance, Loza noticed there
were very few female patients at his clinics because of the social
stigma placed on women and drug abuse.
“If the community wanted to do research about polio, it
would be no problem. But people tend to deny and underreport
instances of drug abuse,” Loza said.
The first part of the program’s extension has been
completed, clearing the red tape, and making room for more data
gathering. There are also plans to extend the project to involve
Lebanon.
“There is much to be gained with problems that affect all
society,” Isralowitz said.
“Drugs have no borders, and this will help teach the
principles of cooperation,” he said.