Which term describes the condition when a person feels they need drugs to cope with life problems?

The term that accurately describes the condition in which a person feels they need drugs to cope with life problems is psychological dependence. This form of dependence occurs when an individual develops a strong emotional or mental attachment to a substance, leading them to believe that they cannot manage stress, anxiety, or other life situations without it.

Individuals experiencing psychological dependence may find that they use the substance as a way to handle emotional distress, feel pleasure, or to avoid negative feelings. This reliance is primarily about the mental and emotional aspects of addiction, distinguishing it from physical dependence, which refers to the body's adaptation to a drug and the withdrawal symptoms that occur when the substance is not available.

Inverting the focus to the other options, physical dependence involves the development of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms, which is different from the emotional need described in the question. Detoxification is the process of clearing a substance from the body, and while it may relate to dependence, it does not capture the emotional reliance aspect. An overdose refers to consuming an excessive amount of a drug, which is a serious health risk but does not pertain to the underlying psychological necessity for the drug in daily life.