A new study found that teenagers who receive substance abuse treatment at facilities with comprehensive mental health have a better success rate, one year later, than those treated at facilities with fewer such services, or none at all.
Researchers at the RAND Corporation studied teenagers at three types of substance abuse treatment facilities. One group of 932 teens attended a site that had a psychiatrist and/or licensed social worker or psychologist on staff, and was able to offer comprehensive psychiatric services. A second group of 1,375 teens attended a site that could treat psychiatric conditions except for severe/persistent mental illness, and a third group of 1,210 teens attended a facility that could not treat psychiatric conditions.
After one year, teens who attended facilities that could treat all psychiatric conditions had lower average levels of substance use problems and substance use frequency compared with the other two groups.
Why is this the case? A government report released earlier this year found that depression and substance abuse often go hand in hand. The found that teenagers who experienced a major depressive episode in the past year
had about twice the rate of illicit drug use compared with teens who had
not experienced depression—37.2 percent versus 17.8 percent.
The Rand study, according to many in the treatment community, is a great aid for families seeking help for teens with substance abuse issues.
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