Management of the adolescent with substance use disorders and comorbid psychopathology

• Published in: Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America Vol. 19; no. 3; p. 609
• Main Authors: Bukstein, Oscar G, Horner, Michelle S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2010
• Subjects: Adolescent; Behavior Therapy; Family Therapy; Humans; Mental Disorders - complications; Mental Disorders - drug therapy; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Disorders - therapy; Substance-Related Disorders - complications; Substance-Related Disorders - drug therapy; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Substance-Related Disorders - therapy
• ISSN: 1558-0490
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2010.03.011

Substance use disorders are common in youth, and co-occurring psychiatric disorders are present in the majority of cases. This article reviews clinical considerations unique to the population, including intricacies of assessment and special treatment considerations. Several psychotherapeutic intervention models are discussed, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectic behavior therapy, motivational enhancement therapy/motivational interviewing, family behavior therapy, multidimensional family therapy, and multisystemic therapy. Research on psychopharmacologic treatment is limited, and primarily focuses on mood disorders and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. To maximize outcome, recommendations based on practice parameters promote integration of treatment modalities versus serial or concurrent treatment of co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders.