title: [Overdosing of popular medicines available without a prescription, a new trend among teenagers].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  For last several years popularity of substances which improve concentration or/and cause hallucinations has considerably increased. There is a conviction that most frequent addictions among teenagers are cigarettes, alcohol or drugs of abuse. A very dangerous phenomenon has been ignored, becoming more common among scholars and students - usage of medicines available without doctor's prescription (over the counter drugs - OTC). Popularity and fame of these specifics comes from side effects observed especially when overdosed.
  
  
  METHODS
  In years 2007-2012 in Clinical Toxicology Laboratory of Medical Pomeranian University 4304 toxicological analyses was conducted with specified direction on drugs analysis (39% of all analyses made in that period). In some cases, especially of young people, a doctor ordering the analysis pointed as possible cause of intoxication "recreational usage" of OTC drugs. Those suspicions were confirmed by toxicological examinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It seems that dominating character feature of people who abuse psychoactive substances is emotional immaturity. Maturation process can be impaired or completely inhibited by abusing psychoactive substances. This is processes are considered which enhance immaturity of person's personality - so called defense mechanisms.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Potocka-Banaś
authors.forename: Slawomir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majdanik
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Korwin-Piotrowska
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dembińska
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Janus
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Borowiak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010551:Personality; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs