Adolescents and drug use: toward a more comprehensive approach.

The pattern and prevalence of drug use among adolescents is explored in a survey of 2131 high school students. Findings suggest that the use of drugs and alcohol by adolescents should be viewed as a complex phenomenon greatly influenced by psychosocial contexts. The importance of preventive measures and of social psychiatric approaches is emphasized, with direct psychiatric care reserved for compulsive users in whom psychopathology is clearly manifested.