NCJ Number
197223
Journal
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 41 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2002 Pages: 1253-1255
Date Published
October 2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study examined a clinical approach to integrating treatment for adolescent depression and substance abuse.
Abstract
Despite both clinical and empirical support for integrating treatment for depression (and other comorbid disorders) and substance use disorders (SUD), progress toward implementing truly integrated treatment models into clinical practice is hampered by: (1) the historical separation of substance and mental health treatment programs coupled with the paucity of integrated clinical and research training programs; (2) a serious gap in knowledge of treatment safety and efficacy for adolescents with SUD and comorbid psychiatric disorders; and (3) controlled clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of several treatment modalities for adolescent SUD have not given attention to comorbid psychiatric disorders such as depression, resulting in a lack of knowledge about which substance treatment approaches might be most effective in adolescents with dual diagnoses. This preliminary, but empirically derived, clinical treatment algorithm can be useful as a starting point to help clinicians structure an integrated approach to the treatment of depression in adolescents with SUD. References