EUPC
SOME PRACTICAL ISSUES
Handbook to be found online (vertalingen te vinden maar best te studeren in Engels)
Mondeling examen in groepjes van 5-6 over een case: theoretische kaders toepassen
• About group assignment, vragen trekken en beantwoorden, discussie in groep + 2
theoretische vragen individueel
• 3 of 4 vragen: 1 over groepswerk samen beantwoorden + 2 individueel beantwoorden
• Copy naar examen, geen laptops – groepswerk niet vanbuiten leren
• Elk om beurt 1 vraag over groepswerk en 2 individuele vragen (7 min per student)
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Chapter 1 handbook (23-26)
WHAT IS PREVENTION?
= interventions that have a clear goal (and are therefore developed) and are systematically trying to
prevent a problem. The goal has to be to prevent a problem and this has to happen in a systematic way,
not through a one time intervention but by developing a prevention strategy/policy
→ EMCDDA
= the application of prevention science to address the health and safety of individuals through
improving socialization processes to enhance self-realization and participation in society
→ UNODC
- Prevention is the application of prevention science to the real world: science alone is not
enough, it needs to be used, not just studied, if it is to accomplish its purpose
o Social workers: the implementers who use the results of prevention science in the
conduct of work
- Prevention science incorporates science and research across many social, behavioral, and
health sciences
o sociology, psychology, epidemiology, biology, physiology and pharmacology
- To address the health and safety of individuals is a broad and encompassing objective of
prevention
o enhancing positive behaviors to improve the quality of life: avoiding the use of
psychoactive substances and other risky behaviors.
- Improving socialization and socialization processes
o => provide supportive social environments that influence decisions about engaging in
healthy behaviors.
- Enhancing self-realization and healthy and positive participation and integration into
society
o broader goal: not only trying to prevent problem behaviors such as substance use, but
also strengthening people’s abilities to live up to their potential in society.
,WHY IS PREVENTION IMPORTANT?
-Impact on human welfare
-Related to raising national income levels (through children’s education, work productivity
and reducing burden on national health and social care)
- Non-communicable diseases and conditions: 60% worldwide
Health promotion strategies: engaging and empowering people
GOAL SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION
- Delay or stop people from beginning to use
- Avoid the development of substance use disorders/health and social problems
- Encourage healthy and safe development of children and young people
o Helping them positively engage with family, schools, peers, workplace, society
DEFINITION ‘EPIDEMIOLOGY’
= “… the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including
disease), the onset of health-related state/event/disease (incidence), the existing cases of the health-
related state/event/disease (prevalence), and the application of this study to the control of diseases
and other health problems” WHO
Not only disease but also events for example child abuse
• How often diseases occur in different groups of people and why
• Science that studies the distribution, incidence, prevalence and control of disease in
population
• Prevalence: total number of individuals in a population who have a disease or health condition at
a specific period of time, usually expressed as a percentage of the population
• Incidence: number of individuals who develop a specific disease or experience a specific health-
related event during a particular time period
WHY DO WE NEED EPIDEMIOLOGY?
• To understand some causes of problems
• To identify target populations for prevention
• To prepare and evaluate strategies to prevent the disease in general populations
• To guide treatment for people who have already developed the disease
EPIDEMIOLOGY HELPS PREVENTION PROFESSIONALS
, WHAT IS THE GLOBAL PROBLEM?
• Prevent substance use disorders (impact global health – social & economic functioning
• Understanding nature and extent of SU
European data → European Drug Report 2024 (European Union Drug Agency)
PHARMACOLOGY AND P HSYSIOLOGY
Psychopharmacologists = those who study how substances affect behavior and psychological
processes
Pharmacology = the study of the effect of substances on living systems
PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES:
• Alcohol
• Tobacco products
• Other psychoactive substances:
o Illegally produced
o Legally produced but used solely for their psychoactive substances (misuse of
prescription drugs/NPS)
Substance use = the use of psychoactive substances that affect the central nervous system and
change how people behave of perceive what is happening around them
= brain and spinal cord
Substances:
• Affect feelings, perceptions, though processes, behavior
• Different substances – different lengths of time to break down (metabolism)
• Half-life of a substance
• Elimination influenced by a person’s age, sex, use of other substances, the lengths of time of
use, the amount of a substance
CLASSIFICATION OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES
• CNS stimulant: increase activity of CNS
o Increase heart rate and breathing + offer sense of excited euphoria and increase feelings
of sociability
o Cocaine, amphetamines, nicotine, caffeine, …
• Empathogen: stimulant effects, sometimes psychedelic
o Aka entactogens
o Produce experiences of emotional connectedness and empathy with others
o MDMA, mephedrone, 6-APB, …
• Psychedelic: changes in thought, sensory perceptions, state of consciousness
o LSD, DMT, psilocybin, mescaline
• Dissociative: sensory perceptions, feelings of detachment (dissociation)
o From environment, others and self
o Ketamine, nitrous oxide, DXM, PCP
• Cannabinoids: state of relaxation and improvements in mood, sensory changes
SOME PRACTICAL ISSUES
Handbook to be found online (vertalingen te vinden maar best te studeren in Engels)
Mondeling examen in groepjes van 5-6 over een case: theoretische kaders toepassen
• About group assignment, vragen trekken en beantwoorden, discussie in groep + 2
theoretische vragen individueel
• 3 of 4 vragen: 1 over groepswerk samen beantwoorden + 2 individueel beantwoorden
• Copy naar examen, geen laptops – groepswerk niet vanbuiten leren
• Elk om beurt 1 vraag over groepswerk en 2 individuele vragen (7 min per student)
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Chapter 1 handbook (23-26)
WHAT IS PREVENTION?
= interventions that have a clear goal (and are therefore developed) and are systematically trying to
prevent a problem. The goal has to be to prevent a problem and this has to happen in a systematic way,
not through a one time intervention but by developing a prevention strategy/policy
→ EMCDDA
= the application of prevention science to address the health and safety of individuals through
improving socialization processes to enhance self-realization and participation in society
→ UNODC
- Prevention is the application of prevention science to the real world: science alone is not
enough, it needs to be used, not just studied, if it is to accomplish its purpose
o Social workers: the implementers who use the results of prevention science in the
conduct of work
- Prevention science incorporates science and research across many social, behavioral, and
health sciences
o sociology, psychology, epidemiology, biology, physiology and pharmacology
- To address the health and safety of individuals is a broad and encompassing objective of
prevention
o enhancing positive behaviors to improve the quality of life: avoiding the use of
psychoactive substances and other risky behaviors.
- Improving socialization and socialization processes
o => provide supportive social environments that influence decisions about engaging in
healthy behaviors.
- Enhancing self-realization and healthy and positive participation and integration into
society
o broader goal: not only trying to prevent problem behaviors such as substance use, but
also strengthening people’s abilities to live up to their potential in society.
,WHY IS PREVENTION IMPORTANT?
-Impact on human welfare
-Related to raising national income levels (through children’s education, work productivity
and reducing burden on national health and social care)
- Non-communicable diseases and conditions: 60% worldwide
Health promotion strategies: engaging and empowering people
GOAL SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION
- Delay or stop people from beginning to use
- Avoid the development of substance use disorders/health and social problems
- Encourage healthy and safe development of children and young people
o Helping them positively engage with family, schools, peers, workplace, society
DEFINITION ‘EPIDEMIOLOGY’
= “… the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including
disease), the onset of health-related state/event/disease (incidence), the existing cases of the health-
related state/event/disease (prevalence), and the application of this study to the control of diseases
and other health problems” WHO
Not only disease but also events for example child abuse
• How often diseases occur in different groups of people and why
• Science that studies the distribution, incidence, prevalence and control of disease in
population
• Prevalence: total number of individuals in a population who have a disease or health condition at
a specific period of time, usually expressed as a percentage of the population
• Incidence: number of individuals who develop a specific disease or experience a specific health-
related event during a particular time period
WHY DO WE NEED EPIDEMIOLOGY?
• To understand some causes of problems
• To identify target populations for prevention
• To prepare and evaluate strategies to prevent the disease in general populations
• To guide treatment for people who have already developed the disease
EPIDEMIOLOGY HELPS PREVENTION PROFESSIONALS
, WHAT IS THE GLOBAL PROBLEM?
• Prevent substance use disorders (impact global health – social & economic functioning
• Understanding nature and extent of SU
European data → European Drug Report 2024 (European Union Drug Agency)
PHARMACOLOGY AND P HSYSIOLOGY
Psychopharmacologists = those who study how substances affect behavior and psychological
processes
Pharmacology = the study of the effect of substances on living systems
PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES:
• Alcohol
• Tobacco products
• Other psychoactive substances:
o Illegally produced
o Legally produced but used solely for their psychoactive substances (misuse of
prescription drugs/NPS)
Substance use = the use of psychoactive substances that affect the central nervous system and
change how people behave of perceive what is happening around them
= brain and spinal cord
Substances:
• Affect feelings, perceptions, though processes, behavior
• Different substances – different lengths of time to break down (metabolism)
• Half-life of a substance
• Elimination influenced by a person’s age, sex, use of other substances, the lengths of time of
use, the amount of a substance
CLASSIFICATION OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES
• CNS stimulant: increase activity of CNS
o Increase heart rate and breathing + offer sense of excited euphoria and increase feelings
of sociability
o Cocaine, amphetamines, nicotine, caffeine, …
• Empathogen: stimulant effects, sometimes psychedelic
o Aka entactogens
o Produce experiences of emotional connectedness and empathy with others
o MDMA, mephedrone, 6-APB, …
• Psychedelic: changes in thought, sensory perceptions, state of consciousness
o LSD, DMT, psilocybin, mescaline
• Dissociative: sensory perceptions, feelings of detachment (dissociation)
o From environment, others and self
o Ketamine, nitrous oxide, DXM, PCP
• Cannabinoids: state of relaxation and improvements in mood, sensory changes
