Narcology (Russian: наркология: narkológija), from Russian нарко- (narco-, pertaining to narcotics, illicit drugs) + -логия (-logy, "branch of study") is a subspecialty of psychiatry dealing with the prevention, treatment, diagnosis, social care and recovery of drug-dependent persons.
In the United States, the comparable terms are "addiction medicine" and "addictionist".
Narcology was introduced as a separated medical specialty in the Soviet Union during the early 1960s through the 1970s.
[5] The term "narcology" is used especially in the countries of the former Soviet Union, including Russia.
[4] United Nations bodies and human rights organizations have documented human rights violations against people who use drugs in Russia, including the absolute prohibition on opioid substitution therapy and methadone maintenance treatment, the use of unscientific methods in the treatment of addictive disorders, the absence of drug dependence treatment for people with serious medical conditions.