Abstract

OLIVEIRA, Maria Paula Magalhães Tavares de. Prevention starts at home: contributions from neuroscience. Junguiana [online]. 2017, vol.35, n.1, pp. 21-31. ISSN 0103-0825.

The increase of drug abuse and of other behaviors that can lead to addiction are evident in contemporary world, as well as the difficulties related to addiction treatment. Neuroscience data can contribute to the prevention of this pathology. The present paper shows the importance of the decision-making process in addiction, focusing in the adolescent brain and emphasizing the role of intersubjectivity in the development. Recent studies describing epigenetic alterations related to early life adversities are presented, including data revealing that some alterations can be reverted by the quality of the bond with the caregiver. Prevention is discussed as an action that begins at home with the humanization of the great mother and the father archetypes and continues throughout life, once adversities can contribute to generate symptoms or resilience, depending on the stress intensity, the maturity level of the nervous system and the relationship between the child and the caregiver, being them parents, educators, friends, analysts or whoever the child can establish a significant relationship with.

Keywords : addiction; prevention; development; archetype; epigenetic.

        · abstract in Portuguese | Spanish     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )