The Phenomenon of Abusable Psychotropic Use Among North American Youth

Abstract

Abusable psychotropic use can, and does, affect all North American youth, either directly or indirectly, regardless of age, gender, culture, ethnic background, education, race, or socioeconomic status. Over the last decade, the morbidity and mortality associated with abusable psychotropic use among youth have become staggering. A current overview of the phenomenon of abusable psychotropic use among youth in North America, including the use of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, LSD, nicotine, and polyabusable psychotropic use, is presented with attention to the expanding role of clinical pharmacologists in relation to both prevention and treatment. The Mega Interactive Model of Abusable Psychotropic Use Among Youth is presented as a heuristic device to assist clinical pharmacologists, and other health care providers, in addressing the multifactorial interactive aspects of this complex phenomenon as observed in the pediatric age group. In this regard, attention is given to the interaction of the Abusable Psychotropic Dimension, including the Abusable Psychotropic Variables (e.g., pharmacokinetics, abuse potential) and Pattern of Use Variables (e.g., social use, abuse, compulsive use), with the Young Person, Societal, and Time Dimensions.

Discriminative‐Stimulus Effects of Triazolam in Light and Moderate Drinkers

“…One factor that may increase vulnerability to the effects of abused drugs is the pharmacological or drug-use history of the individual. The use of licit drugs like alcohol even increases an individual's vulnerability to abuse drugs (Kandel and Yamaguchi, 1993;Pagliaro and Pagliaro, 1993). In national surveys, for example, individuals who reported heavy or binge alcohol use in the past month were approximately 10 to 18 times more likely to report recent illicit drug use than respondents who did not report any alcohol use in the past month (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1999).…”