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Keywords

drug use, drug abuse, mental health disorder

Abstract

The constantly increasing use of drugs and alcohol in young adults has created great controversy in the medical community on the long-term effects of these substances. The average brain development of adolescence and young adults is not complete until the age of 25, though drug and alcohol intake occur across the United States at younger ages each year. Impulsive behavior and underdeveloped neural pathways create a strong pull for addiction formulations and the development of severe mental-health problems. This paper reviews the positive and negative effects of illicit drugs and alcohol intake and their comorbidity with mental health disorders. There have been proven positive benefits of illicit substances. Marijuana is being dubbed the “miracle drug,” and drugs like psychedelic mushrooms are being shown to cure anxiety. These theories are examined as well as how they positively and negatively affect the long-term mental health of individuals. The research substantiates the idea that this is a frontier in mental health studies and further research is needed for a clear consensus on the comorbidity of drug use and mental health disorders.

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