Adolescent Substance Use Disorders

Adolescent substance abuse is the nation's #1 public health problem. It originates out of a developmental era where experimentation with the world is increasingly taking place, and where major changes in physical self and social relationships are taking place. These changes cannot be understood by any one discipline nor can they be described by focusing only on the behavioral and social problems of this age period, the characteristics of normal development, or the pharmacology and addictive potential of specific drugs. They require knowledge of the brain's systems of reward and control, genetics, psychopharmacology, personality, child development, psychopathology, family dynamics, peer group relationships, culture, social policy, and more. Drawing on the expertise of the leading researchers in this field, this Handbook provides the most comprehensive summarization of current knowledge about adolescent substance abuse. The Handbook is organized into eight sections covering the literature on the developmental context of this life period, the epidemiology of adolescent use and abuse, similarities and differences in use, addictive potential, and consequences of use for different drugs; etiology and course as characterized at different levels of mechanistic analysis ranging from the genetic and neural to the behavioural and social. Two sections cover the clinical ramifications of abuse, and prevention and intervention strategies to most effectively deal with these problems. The Handbook's last section addresses the role of social policy in framing the problem, in addressing it, and explores its potential role in alleviating it.

Presents information on identifying, screening, and assessing adolescents who use substances. This report focuses on the most current procedures and instruments for detecting substance abuse among adolescents, conducting comprehensive assessments, and beginning treatment planning. Presents appropriate strategies and guidelines for screening and assessment. Explains legal issues concerning Federal and State confidentiality laws. Provides guidance for screening and assessing adolescents in juvenile justice settings. Summarizes instruments to screen and assess adolescents for substance and general functioning domains.

The second edition of this book incorporates the latest theory, research, and best practices for understanding, treating, and preventing substance abuse among adolescents. It updates the progress made in treatments for and prevention of the misuse of substances and adds new specific chapters on prescriptions, opiates, and methamphetamine abuse. The book discusses the effects of commonly abused substances, from tobacco and alcohol to stimulants and opioids, on the human brain and the various psychosocial routes to their misuse by adolescents. Chapters provide evidence-based guidelines for assessing adolescent treatment needs and review psychological, pharmacological, family, and self-help interventions. The book offers new paths in diverse directions, analyzes the core components of substance use prevention, critiques emerging school-based interventions, and introduces a nuanced reconceptualization of recovery. Topics featured in the book include: The effect of family and caregiver situations on adolescent substance abuse. A biological/genetic perspective on adolescent substance abuse. School-based preventions and the evolution of evidence-based strategies. The role of adolescent self-help in substance abuse interventions. Community-based interventions to reduce alcohol use and misuse. Adolescent Substance Abuse, Second Edition, is a must-have reference for researchers, clinicians/practitioners, and graduate students in the fields of child and school psychology, social work, public health, developmental psychology, child and adolescent psychiatry, and various interrelated mental health and social policy arenas.

This volume reviews a range of empirically supported approaches to prevention and treatment of adolescent substance use problems. The focus is on motivationally based brief interventions that can be delivered in a variety of contexts, that address key developmental considerations, and that draw on cutting-edge knowledge on addictive behavior change. From expert contributors, coverage encompasses alcohol skills training; integrative behavioral and family therapy; motivational interviewing; interventions for dually diagnosed youth; Internet-based education, prevention, and treatment; and applications to HIV prevention. The volume is extensively referenced and includes numerous clinical illustrations and vignettes.

The editor and authors of Youth Substance Abuse and Co-occurring Disorders take an applied approach that serves the needs of clinicians, clinical researchers, and students in the fields of mental health, public health, and medicine (pediatrics, family medicine, and child and adolescent psychiatry, in particular). While the population of adolescents with SUD possesses diverse clinical characteristics, 70%--80% manifest comorbid psychopathology, known also as co-occurring disorders or dual diagnosis -- that is, the presence of one or more comorbid psychiatric disorders in addition to SUDs. These comorbidities can greatly complicate assessment and treatment, and this book provides clinicians with not only the theory behind the various approaches to SUD but also the practical knowledge that is essential to understand and treat psychiatric comorbidity in these adolescents. Some of the most prominent investigators in the field have contributed scholarly chapters to the volume, which offers a multitude of useful features: An extensive examination of the etiology of SUD, focusing on whether psychopathology may precede SUD, as in the majority of cases, develop as a consequence of preexisting SUD, or originate from a common vulnerability Consistent emphasis on future directions in clinical research and treatment advancement, which helps the reader identify critical gaps in understanding the relationship between SUD and psychiatric comorbidity among youth Thorough, state-of-the art chapters on the developmental pathways and relationships between substance use and co-occurring psychiatric disorders, screening tools and interventions, and the full range of co-occurring disorders make the book ideal for instructional use Information on risk factors for development of SUD in adolescence, including psychiatric disorders in childhood such as disruptive behavior disorders, mood, anxiety disorders, etc. Clinically useful and scientifically rigorous, Youth Substance Abuse and Co-occurring Disorders should stimulate further discussion and advancement of the field, ultimately resulting in improved and more effective services and intervention modalities for these youth.

By offering unique analysis and synthesis of theory, empirical research, and clinical guidance in an up-to-date and unbiased context, this book assists health and social care professionals in understanding the use of drugs and substances of abuse by children and adolescents. A comprehensive reference for health and social care professionals, the book identifies and corrects related false narratives and, with the use of the authors’ combined experience of over 70 years of clinical and academic experience in drug and substance abuse, provides current pharmacotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of alcohol or other dependence or use disorders among children and adolescents. The book also provides a useful reference for identifying brand/trade and street names of the drugs and substances of abuse commonly used by children and adolescents. Also included is a comprehensive, cross-referenced subject index. Clear, comprehensive, accessible, and fully referenced, this book will be an invaluable resource for professionals and students who aim to treat children and adolescents. Child and Adolescent Drug and Substance Abuse is the 19th clinical pharmacology and therapeutic text that the Pagliaros have written over the past 40 years and is the sixth that deals exclusively with drug and substance abuse.

`[This] volume provides a unique and advantageous perspective to the trainees and practitioners in the adolescent substance abuse field. It offers a sophisticated perspective on addiction treatment techniques developed in recent years, with a sensitivity to the social and developmental needs of the adolescent.' Marc Galanter, from the Foreword.

An enlightening discussion of the major issues related to the prevention and treatment of adolescent substance abuse. Information-packed chapters lend a new perspective to the field and suggest implications for practice in services for youth.