University of Valencia

Academic, scientific or professional interest: Drug addiction is the main public health problem in developed countries. Drug abuse affects the entire population, and illegal drugs are more prevalent among the younger population, which can cause disability and great morbidity for the suffering of many different diseases, including neuropsychiatric ones, of which we are still far from knowing what influences their cause and development. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterised by loss of control over the use of a substance by the patient. This substance (or behaviour) occupies then a prominent place in the person’s life, affecting not only the normal balance of their vital functions, but the homeostatic role of their behaviors and their environment, through the problems generated by the behaviours that this drug imposes on the person. The health and social demand in drug addiction is faced by multiple professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, etc.) from more generic specialties. However, the complexity of managing drug addicts requires a specialisation with strong multidisciplinary character. For psychology, professional development in the field of drug addiction may encourage future specialisation with various professionals, particularly of health sciences, which will improve the clinic projection and therefore the professional demands of the profession.