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Chevron Publishing Corporation, International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 03(17)

DOI: 10.4172/1522-4821.1000242

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Rehabilitation of the Adolescent with a Substance Use Disorder: Overview of Treatment Efficacy

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Background: Several studies have shown that substance use disorder (SUDs) among adolescents is related to multiple behavioural problems and needs specific treatment compared to adults. Objectives: The aim of the present paper was to investigate the gold standard of rehabilitation efficacy for SUDs in adolescence. Methods: A careful review of the literature was conducted on the treatment and rehabilitation of adolescents with SUDs. A total of 11 articles from peer-reviewed journals was selected for this review. Results: Family therapy is the treatment with the strongest evidence of effectiveness for reducing SUDs in adolescents, although other types of treatments appear to be beneficial such as cognitive-behavioural therapy and other psychological approaches. Despite the effectiveness of the treatments, the rate of relapse remains high among adolescents with SUDs. Conclusion: Currently, psychological treatments, particularly family therapy, are most frequently applied to adolescents with SUDs. Pharmacotherapy is reserved for adolescents with a SUDs in co-morbidity with other mental disorders and a therapeutic community is suggested for these at-risk adolescents.