PHARMACY UPDATE
What paediatricians should know about young people and drugs in the UK
1 Department of Child Health, Bath and North East Somerset Primary Care Trust, Bath, UK
2 Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK
Correspondence to:
For correspondence:
Dr Rosemary Jones
Child Health Department, Bath NHS House, Newbridge Hill, Bath, BA1 3QE, UK; rosemary.jones@banes-pct.nhs.uk
Keywords: drugs; young people
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
Experimental drug use is extremely common in young people. Paediatricians will see children in the community or acute setting who have taken illegal drugs. This article summarises what is known about the commonly used street drugs and how children and young people may present to health professionals.
THE EXTENT OF ILLEGAL DRUG USE IN YOUNG PEOPLE
There are huge challenges in terms of accurate mapping of drugs usage; given that the activity is illegal, adolescents may be reluctant to talk to researchers about their own drug use, unless they are reassured about confidentiality. On the other hand, the topic is fascinating and there is much discussion about drugs within peer group settings. Unfortunately, methodologies used in mapping drugs usage vary widely, as well as definitions of terms such as "ever used", "currently using", or "problematic drugs use". Various age categories are used, with some surveys relating to all teenagers (usually ages 11–19 years), some to younger teenagers (11–15 years),
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