The paper describes results of "operationalized psychodynamic diagnostics" (OPD) with 54 adolescent and young adult drug addicts prior to outpatient family therapy. Focus of investigation is the prognostic and factorial validity of the OPD-system. Furthermore, relationships between conflicts and psychic structure are investigated. The use of the OPD-system allows a clinical description of the patient sample. Thus, adolescent drug addicts are characterized by autonomy versus dependence and self-esteem conflicts. A neurotic or sometimes borderline level is found on the structure axis. Low scores on the structure axis are significantly correlated with self-esteem conflicts. There is some evidence for the prognostic validity of the OPD I axis. However, prognostic validity of the structure and conflict axes require further research.
