[Drug abuse and adolescence: neurobiology and psychiatric implications]

Abstract

Drug abuse in adolescence is a main public health concern. About 60% of people who abuse substances is younger than 18 years old. Early addiction increases other drug abuse and it is associated to greater risk in the development of Substance Use Disorders and psychiatric disorders. In the management of adolescent addiction, the awareness of recent researches on alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine abuse, can represent a fundamental tool in terms of prevention, early detection and treatment for clinicians, researches and parents.