Consequences of adolescent drug use on psychiatric disorders in early adulthood

This article summarizes the existing literature on the relationship between adolescent drug use and abuse and the development of psychiatric disorders in adulthood. In recent years, there has been increased awareness of the c o-occurrence of drug abuse and psychiatric disorders in adolescence and you ng adulthood. Few longitudinal studies, however, have examined specifically the impact of earlier drug use and abuse on later psychiatric disorders. T he literature suggests three possible models to explain the relation betwee n drug use and abuse and psychiatric disorders. According to the first mode l, adolescent psychiatric disorders precede drug use and abuse. A second mo del postulates that psychiatric disorders and drug use are correlated becau se they share one or more common aetiological factor(s). The third model po sits that drug use and abuse predict or precede certain psychiatric disorde rs. We present data from a recent longitudinal study to support this latter model. As drug use and abuse have been shown to increase the likelihood of psychiatric disorders, it is clear that medical attention needs to be give n to adolescents who use drugs of abuse. It is expected that a decrease in adolescent drug abuse should lead to an accompanying reduction in later psy chiatric disorders.