MENTAL health is just as important as physical health - as we should be equally conscious of looking after it.

That is one of the main messages of Mental Health Awareness Week, which was launched on Monday by Health Minister Patrice Minors.

One way in which many of us adversely affect our mental as well as physical health is by taking drugs - legal or illegal. The most widespread examples are alcohol and nicotine.

Dr. Edirimuni Rodrigo, a consultant psychiatrist at St. Brendan's Hospital, who completed his training in Sri Lanka and England, takes a closer look at this phenomenon in this week's Insight.

[continues 1067 words]