Young people increasingly at risk, the data is alarming

An alarming fact concerns young people, and it is a specific risk to which they are subjected and to which we must pay attention

The topic of the younger generations is very delicate and equally broad, and it is important to give the right attention so that they can grow in the best way and in health.

The news comes from the Veronesi Foundation, which focuses the light on a little-known topic, but which represents a great risk for young people.

Adolescents and the use of psychotropic drugs, the data are alarming

The Institute of Clinical Physiology – section of Epidemiology and Research on Health Services – of the National Research Council (CNR) has been conducting the ESPAD Italia study on risk behaviors within a representative sample of the Italian student population for over twenty years. between 15 and 19 years.

The purpose of data collection through a questionnaire is to monitor the consumption of psychoactive substances. “Not only non-prescription psychotropic drugs, but also alcohol, tobacco, energy drinks, illegal psychoactive substances, and other risky behaviors such as Internet use, gaming, and gambling“, Specifies the Foundation presenting the results.

ESPAD data showed that in Italy 10.5% of children have consumed psychotropic drugs without a prescription (SPM) in their life, 6.6% in the last year and 4.0% in the last month, especially girls. From 2007 to 2017, a progressive increase of this type of consumption and a decrease of the same from 2018 to 2020, but the comforting data has suffered a sharp stop cause of the pandemic – which has consequently increased the abuse of certain substances in a large part of the population.

The research also explains the reasons for the use of these substances, first of all the improvement of school performance (46.8%), the improvement in physical appearance relative to the consumption of diet drugs (72.5%), the desire to get better about oneself associated with the consumption of drugs for to sleep (36.6%) and for l‘humor (54.6%).

Dr. Sabrina Molinaro, researcher at the CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, also specifies another alarming aspect: “Let’s not forget the use of psychotropic drugs with the alone aim to get high. For certain types of drugs such as anxiolytics or barbiturates, the use is precisely aimed at deregulation and a moment of escape, often consumed together with alcohol or cannabis to increase its effects. In general it is a shortcut taken to reach your goal without too much effort“.

It is important for families to understand where young people find drugs, in order to be able to find them without a prescription: 13.6% of the students (males for 10.8% and females for 16.4%) is aware of lplaces to go. Of these, 42.3% say they find them at home, 28.2% via the Internet and 22.2% on the street. In particular, it is quite easy to get medications for attention, weight loss, sleep and mood.

The Foundation explains that in order to limit the risky phenomenon, it is essential to train and information in schools and familieswith respect to the related risks. “Parents should be made aware that these drugs can be real drugs, not very different from many other chemicals used by children, for example in clubs. These drugs, when taken under a doctor’s prescription, are healing and can help calm certain ailments, but taken randomly, especially with the aim of getting high, they are analogous to many other illegal substances.“, Concluded Dr. Molinaro.