Drug Abuse In Adolescence

Focusing on two central themes--the psychobiological evolution from youth to adult and the effects of drugs on the developing central nervous system--this important reference elucidates the mechanisms of chemical dependency in adolescents. Its multidisciplinary coverage analyzes addiction across major domains of human functioning against the backdrop of hormonal, cognitive, and other changes that accompany the transition to adulthood. Chapters discuss legal as well as illicit drugs, examine age-related social contexts, and present the latest findings on links between drug use and mental disorders. Throughout, the contributors make clear that education is more valuable to understanding--and preventing--substance abuse than are prohibition and zero-tolerance thinking. Included among the topics: Cognitive development, learning, and drug use. Neurobiology of the action of drugs of abuse. Findings in adolescents with substance dependence based on neuroimaging tests. Alcohol abuse in adolescents: relevance of animal models. Effects of chronic drug abuse on the chronobiology of sleep in adolescents. Neurological and cognitive disorders arising from the chronic use of drugs of abuse. The multiple lenses for understanding its subject and the sensitivity with which causal nuances are treated make Neuroscience of Drug Abuse in Adolescence an invaluable resource for clinical and child psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and addiction counselors.

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.

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 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 timely volume explores the possible reasons that young people turn to drugs, the most effective methods to manage those who are afflicted, and ways to educate youth to prevent their initial drug involvement.

Adolescent Addiction: Epidemiology, Assessment, and Treatment presents a comprehensive review of information on adolescent addiction, including prevalence and co-morbidity rates, risk factors to addiction, and prevention and treatment strategies. Unlike other books that may focus on one specific addiction, this book covers a wide range of addictions in adolescents, including alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, eating, gambling, internet and video games, and sex addiction. Organized into three sections, the book begins with the classification and assessment of adolescent addiction. Section two has one chapter each on the aforementioned addictions, discussing for each the definition, epidemiology, risk factors, co-morbidity, course and outcome, and prevention and intervention. Section three discusses the assessment and treatment of co-morbid conditions in greater detail as well as the social and political implications of adolescent addictions. Intended to be of practical use to clinicians treating adolescent addiction, the book contains a wealth of information that will be of use to the researcher as well. Contributors to the book represent the US, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. About the Editor: Cecilia A. Essau is professor of developmental psychopathology at Roehampton University in London, UK. Specializing in child and adolescent psychopathology, she has been an author or editor of 12 previous books in child psychopathology and is author of over 100 research articles and book chapters in this area. Comprehensive with the state-of-the-art information on important and the most common adolescent addiction Easy to understand and organized chapters Written by international experts

The purpose of this collection is to provide a forum to integrate pre-clinical and clinical investigations regarding the long-term consequences of adolescent exposure to drugs of abuse. Adolescence is characterized by numerous behavioral and biological changes, including substantial neurodevelopment. Behaviorally, adolescents are more likely to engage in risky activities and make impulsive decisions. As such, the majority of substance use begins in adolescence, and an earlier age of onset of use (<15 yr) is strongly associated with the risk for developing a substance use disorder later in life. Furthermore, adolescent drug use may negatively impact ongoing neurological development, which could lead to long-term cognitive and emotional deficits. A large number of clinical studies have investigated both the acute and long-term effects of adolescent drug use on functional outcomes. However, the clinical literature contains many conflicting findings, and is often hampered by the inability to know if functional differences existed prior to drug use. Moreover, in human populations it is often very difficult to control for the numerous types of drugs, doses, and combinations used, not to mention the many other environmental factors that may influence adult behavior. Therefore, an increase in the number of carefully controlled studies using relevant animal models has the potential to clarify which adolescent experiences, particularly what drugs used when, have long-term negative consequences. Despite the advantages of animal model systems in clarifying these issues, the majority of pre-clinical addiction research over the past 50+ years has been conducted in adult animals. Moreover, few addiction-related studies have investigated the long-term neurocognitive consequences of drug exposure at any age. In the past 10 years of so, however, the field of adolescent drug abuse research has burgeoned. To date, the majority of this research has focused on adolescent alcohol exposure using a variety of animal models. The results have given the field important insight into why adolescents are more likely to drink alcohol to excess relative to adults, and the danger of adolescent alcohol use (e.g., in leading to a persistence of excessive drinking in adulthood). More recently, research regarding the effects of adolescent exposure to other drugs of abuse, including nicotine, cocaine, and cannabinoids has expanded. Therefore, we are at unique point in time, when emerging results from carefully controlled pre-clinical studies can inform the sometimes confusing clinical literature. In addition, we expect an influx of prospective clinical studies in response to a cross-institute initiative at NIH, known as the ABCD grant. Several institutes are enrolling children prior to adolescence (and the initiation of drug use), in order to control for pre-existing neurobiological and neurobehavioral differences and to monitor the age of initiation and amount of drug used more carefully than is possible using retrospective designs.

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.