Treatment of substance-abusing adolescents

Abstract

Substance use among adolescents is an upcoming problem and is recognized as a serious public health problem. The present chapter talks about the hazardous consequences of substance use among adolescents. Drug use in an early age can have far-reaching physical, psychological, social, and developing consequences. Among the comorbid psychiatric conditions, disruptive behavior disorder is common which includes conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A number ofevidence-based, developmentally sensitivetreatment approaches have been developed for adolescent substance users including family system approaches, brief motivational interventions, cognitive–behavioral therapy, community-based treatment models, and life skills training programmes.