[Suggestions for dealing with drug-dependent adolescents in practice (author's transl)]

The three areas are outlined which the doctor must handle with drug-dependent adolescents in the pre-clinical stage. Besides diagnosis and treatment there is also the danger of becoming a supplier of drugs of addiction. Direct questioning revealed that drug-dependent adolescents are frequently prescribed medicaments uncritically as substitute drugs and consequently an insight into the need for therapy is prevented. Specific modes of behavior of these patients in acquiring drugs is described and concrete suggestions for the doctor are deduced from them.