Mònica, 22, addicted to anti-anxiety pills: "I hunted for pills like a junkie"
The testimony of a 22-year-old Spanish woman addicted to anti-anxiety medication sparks a debate over the causes of youth anxiety: pharmaceutical companies, smartphones or absent parents.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Anti-anxiety drug addiction: Mònica's story and the debate over its causes
Mònica is 22 and started taking diazepam to control anxiety attacks. She soon became addicted: "I hunted for pills like a junkie," she says. Her story, published in El Periódico, has sparked an intense debate about the deeper causes of the anxiety epidemic among young people. The hypotheses range from the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies to smartphone addiction, including the absence of parental figures.
The causes of the phenomenon
One line of analysis points to pharmaceutical companies prescribing without control. It has been argued that they are "wreaking havoc" by prioritising profit over health. Others argue the real problem is the dopamine addiction generated by smartphones. "Kids today can't focus on anything that lasts longer than a TikTok," the warning goes, and digital overstimulation creates a breeding ground for anxiety and the search for anti-anxiety drugs as an escape route.
Social and family factors
The influence of parental divorce and the father's absence as a trigger has also been debated. "When there's no father around, there are usually problems," it is argued. Other more controversial voices point to a lack of discipline or female hysteria, though these views are a minority. On a more technical level, alternating different benzodiazepines is recommended to avoid tolerance, advice that reveals a detailed knowledge of recreational use.
Mònica managed to break free of the addiction, but her story raises uncomfortable questions: is anxiety an individual illness or a reflection of a broken society? The debate remains open.
Related discussions in the forum
Mònica is 22 and started taking diazepam to control anxiety attacks. She soon became addicted: "I hunted for pills like a junkie," she says. Her story, published in El Periódico, has sparked an intense debate about the deeper causes of the anxiety epidemic among young people. The hypotheses range from the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies to smartphone addiction, including the absence of parental figures.
The causes of the phenomenon
One line of analysis points to pharmaceutical companies prescribing without control. It has been argued that they are "wreaking havoc" by prioritising profit over health. Others argue the real problem is the dopamine addiction generated by smartphones. "Kids today can't focus on anything that lasts longer than a TikTok," the warning goes, and digital overstimulation creates a breeding ground for anxiety and the search for anti-anxiety drugs as an escape route.
Social and family factors
The influence of parental divorce and the father's absence as a trigger has also been debated. "When there's no father around, there are usually problems," it is argued. Other more controversial voices point to a lack of discipline or female hysteria, though these views are a minority. On a more technical level, alternating different benzodiazepines is recommended to avoid tolerance, advice that reveals a detailed knowledge of recreational use.
Mònica managed to break free of the addiction, but her story raises uncomfortable questions: is anxiety an individual illness or a reflection of a broken society? The debate remains open.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (24 replies).
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