Epilogue

The papers in this issue portray only too vividly the ruined lives ravaged by psychic pain, alienation, loss of functioning, and tortured relationships. Society is puzzled by adolescents' capacity to inflict an array of problems on themselves, and, as always, society is also quick to condemn and to judge these youngsters for their transgressions. Such attitudes are seldom constructive, but society is right in its concern for the danger posed by addiction, which is not simply a personal danger but has its ramifications into every corner of civilization. It can weaken the sinews of the whole culture. As it becomes more widespread, it takes on the dimensions of a social scourge, one that may have far-reaching effects on every level of societal functioning, from the individual case of malfunctioning to a whole nation being unable to defend itself. One cannot help developing a concern about what appears to be a growing tolerance for drug abuse, an adult modeling of drug-taking behavior that literally for the adolescent can have life-and-death consequences.

Interestingly, one of the aspects of addiction not underlined in these articles is its self-destructive motivation. Perhaps this fact is a reflection of the lack of good research on adolescents. We know that the suicide rate from drug-taking among adolescents is high, and one study (Barton, 1974) showed a 36 percent increase in deaths due to suicide by drugs between 1963 and 1971. But, as yet, no study exists that has examined the full range of possible self-destructive behavior among adolescent drug abusers. Barton's findings suggest that the role of self-destruction in the adolescent drug abuser needs to have a prominent place in the conceptualization of treatment procedures.

The psychoanalyst with his knowledge of personality dynamics and unconscious motivation is, as this issue of Psychoanalytic Inquiry has indicated, in a pivotal position to conduct such research