Używanie leków z powodu dolegliwości bólowych i negatywnych stanów emocjonalnych przez uczniów warszawskich gimnazjów

The study was aimed at the assessment of trends in medicines use, taken for pain ailments (headache and stomachache), negative emotional conditions (sleeplessness, nervousness, depression), and lack of energy among adolescents.An anonymous questionnaire was administered to 15-year-old students in random sample of middle school classes from Warsaw. In 2004 data were taken from 722 students, in 2008 from 1133 students, and in 2012 from 937 students.Results showed that in the last month before the study 24–30% of students used pain-relievers occasionally, approximately 20% used such medicines frequently. Medicines against negative emotional conditions and lack of energy were less prevalent. The prevalence of pain-reliever use was stable, however, changes in the prevalence of medicine use for negative emotional conditions were noted.Mental health promotion and prevention program, addressing over-the-counter medicine use should be developed.