It will be held this afternoon (18pm), in the prestigious Zuccari Hall of the Senate of the Republic, the national preview of Psychology and Psychopathology of New Addictions (Zanichelli, 2025), the first Italian university textbook entirely dedicated to the theme of new forms of addiction, an increasingly widespread and transversal phenomenon, particularly among adolescents and young adults.
The volume, edited by Professor Ornella Corazza and by the Professor Gianluca Esposito of the University of Trento, collects the contributions of some of the most authoritative Italian experts in the sector – including John Martinotti, Stephen Pallanti, Pierluigi Simonato, Ilaria De Luca e Francesco Botre – offering a scientifically based vision, but at the same time accessible to those who work daily in the fields of education, mental health and communication.
The themes of the book
The text systematically addresses both the substance addictions – including new psychoactive substances and those used for image and performance enhancement – both behavioral addictions, today in exponential growth: problematic use of video games, pornography, gambling, compulsive shopping, cyberbullying and social media addiction. All this is included in an in-depth analysis of the cultural and psychological transformations induced by digitalization and globalization.
Each chapter of the book opens with a real testimony and closes with teaching tools designed to promote awareness, prevention and intervention. The text is aimed not only at university students and researchers, but also at educators, health workers, parents, coaches and journalists: a large community that every day deals with the transformations in youth behavior.
A bridge between science, institutions and civil society
Today's initiative is part of a larger project, born thanks to the impetus of the Senator for Life Elena Cattaneo and strongly promoted by the Dr. Claudia Zanchi, Together with Dr. Franco Bernabè and a multidisciplinary working group which also includes the Professor Ornella Corazza, the Dr. Veronica Civiero , Prof. Monica Billio.
THEobiettivo it is ambitious and necessary: to promote a mental health culture founded on awareness, prevention and shared responsibility, capable of crossing disciplinary and social boundaries. The presentation of the volume will be an opportunity to start a discussion between the academic world, institutions and civil society, with the aim of building a long-term educational project aimed at students, teachers and families.
As the organizers point out, only through an approach synergistic and transversal it will be possible to develop effective tools to read and address contemporary discomfort, educate on digital balance and restore centrality to mental health in public debate.