site.btaDrug Use in Bulgaria Starts Before Age 12, Psychiatrist Warns

Drug use in Bulgaria begins before the age of 12, and around 40 to 50 new psychoactive substances are registered in the country every year, Tsveteslava Galabova, Director of the St Ivan Rilski State Psychiatric Hospital, said on Tuesday at a round table titled Childhood Without Violence, held at the National Sports Academy and organized by Parliamentary Committee on Youth and Sports Matters Chair Gabriel Valkov.

According to statistics from the National Center for Public Health and Analyses, a total of 11,800 people were treated in toxicology units last year due to alcohol and drug poisoning. “And these are only the cases that reach toxicology wards,” Galabova said. She also highlighted the growing problems of gambling addiction and screen dependency.

“About 50,000 people in Bulgaria have listed themselves in the gambling addiction register. The problem is that this portal only blocks access to casinos and gambling websites, but anyone can remove themselves from the list at any time,” she added. Galabova warned about the harmful effects of excessive screen use among children. “Screen addiction is already a disease,” she said.

She described addictions as devastating and often fatal. “Addictions end in three places: prison, psychiatric ward, or cemetery. There is no fourth way out,” she stated. According to Galabova, Bulgaria lacks state and therapeutic programs for addiction treatment. “There are only one or two facilities, and they are within psychiatric hospitals. There is not a single place in Bulgaria where a child with an addiction can be admitted,” she said. She stressed that the root of problems such as addiction and aggression among children lies in the family.

“The breakdown of society begins with the breakdown of the Bulgarian family as an institution. Around 60% of children in recent years have been born outside marriage, which means relationships often dissolve easily, leaving children with only one parent,” she said. Galabova also pointed to domestic violence and parental neglect as widespread issues. “Violence in Bulgarian families is common and it’s not just physical. It’s also the lack of interest in a child’s life. Giving your child BGN 200 and telling them to go to the mall and not bother you is also a form of violence,” she said. In conclusion, she emphasized that any solution must begin with the “healing of the family as an institution.”