Memory impairment among people with substance dependence

Substance abuse and dependence is one of the major problem that drawn both public and scientific attention in India, especially in Kerala. This study has been conducted to find out whether there is any significant difference between the memory functioning among drug abusers and non-abusers. 30 individuals with substance dependence are taken randomly from the cases reported and diagnosed in different hospitals, Ernakulum, Kerala and 31 non-abusers are selected randomly from Ernakulum district, Kerala. The age group under study is individuals between the age 20–45 years. The scale used was P.G.I Memory Scale(PGIMS) by Dwarka Pershad and N. N. Wig, 1977. It measures remote memory, recent memory, mental balance, attention and concentration, delayed recall, immediate recall, verbal retention for similar pairs, verbal retention for dissimilar pairs, visual retention and recognition. The result shows that there is a significant difference exists among individuals with substance dependence and individuals without any substance dependence. This research provides more opportunities in the treatment processes of drug abusers.