Substance use: harm reduction for injecting drug use: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

Psychiatry · Substance use: harm reduction for injecting drug use

Sample item

In a district with heavy injecting of heroin and an HIV outbreak among users, a programme aims to cut transmission. Which combination is the evidence-based harm reduction package?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Needle-syringe exchange with opioid substitution therapy

Needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy such as methadone or buprenorphine reduce sharing of injecting equipment and bring users into care. India's targeted intervention programmes use this approach. Coercive detention and counselling alone have limited effect on transmission.

Option by option

  • A. Compulsory detention in a de-addiction centre

    Compulsory detention does not reduce injecting risk after release and is not recommended.

  • B. Abstinence counselling only

    Counselling alone does not provide clean equipment or reduce injecting frequency.

  • C. Needle-syringe exchange with opioid substitution therapy (correct)

    Correct. Clean injecting equipment and substitution treatment reduce HIV spread.

  • D. Naloxone distribution alone

    Naloxone reduces overdose deaths but does not prevent transmission through shared needles.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Psychiatry questions

Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is C, Needle-syringe exchange with opioid substitution therapy. Needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy such as methadone or buprenorphine reduce sharing of injecting equipment and bring users into care.

Why is "Compulsory detention in a de-addiction centre" not the answer?

Compulsory detention does not reduce injecting risk after release and is not recommended.

Why is "Abstinence counselling only" not the answer?

Counselling alone does not provide clean equipment or reduce injecting frequency.

Why is "Naloxone distribution alone" not the answer?

Naloxone reduces overdose deaths but does not prevent transmission through shared needles.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Substance use: harm reduction for injecting drug use in Psychiatry. India's targeted intervention programmes use this approach. Coercive detention and counselling alone have limited effect on transmission.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Substance use: harm reduction for injecting drug use?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.