Health care for adolescents who are susceptible to drug use

Abstract

This article deals with adolescences, in the plural, as a socio-historical construction of a dynamic process and with the experience of adolescents with their lifestyle and self-expression in a unique socio-historical context. It assumes that purely prescriptive measures are insufficient to address the complexity of mental illness processes in contemporary society. This study aims to understand the context of health care practices for vulnerable youth, particularly those involved in substance use, through the lens of
tensions in health practice domains. This is an exploratory, descriptive study using a qualitative approach, with interviews conducted with health professionals). The study highlights the tensions within health practice between the biomedical model and the war on drugs and a community-based psychosocial approach; it underlines the need for reducing stigmatization, improving access, harm reduction, and individualized care. It also emphasizes the importance of considering and promoting a shift in mentality towards mental illness in order to develop carestrategies. This process was carried out in line with the principles of the Brazilian Mental Health Reform, with advances and setbacks that affect the updating of health practices, which are more oriented towards proposals for psychosocial and vulnerability-reducing actions.