Unintended harm: A qualitative study of “harm” upon people who inject drugs in Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

Given the highly pervasive health threats faced by people who inject drugs, harm reduction has been implemented in Thailand. Although harm reduction is a particularly effective public health strategy for reducing risky behavior, it is currently practiced with minimal understanding of unintended harm—drug policy, social exclusion, stigma, and discrimination—for people who inject drugs (PWID) in Thailand. This study aims to understanding the “unintended harm” encountered by people who inject drugs in Bangkok in their everyday lives through social interaction at all levels of society from macro, micro, and individual levels. In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 people who inject drugs in Bangkok (21 men and 7 women) and 4 people who are a nurse, a community leader, a policeman, and a family member (2 men and 2 women). The result shows that individuals, society, and politics are not separable phenomena and all produce harm upon people who inject drugs. These unintended harms on the macro, micro, and individual level are closely linked; each in their own way poses a threat to the health and well-being of people who inject drugs and embody negative social responses as the people who inject drugs become typecast as “deviants.” In conclusion, there is an urgent need to develop a “harm reduction” model that addresses unintended harm and could be integrated within the existing socio-cultural context of Thai society.