Substance Abuse Among Adolescents

Abstract

A significant number of American teens use and abuse illicit and addictive substances. The year 2010 will witness the largest numbers of adolescents in American history, so there is a clear need to improve our understanding of adolescent substance abuse disorders (SUDs) and to provide effective prevention and treatment. This review provides an examination of the scope of the problem, the progression of adolescent SUD, and developmental and risk factors that are unique to adolescents. It also discusses assessment, treatment, and prevention models available for adolescent SUD.