Sections
Substance Abuse and Addictions: Introduction | Definitions, Clinical Description, and Diagnosis | Epidemiology | Comorbidity | Etiology, Mechanisms, and Risk Factors | Prevention | Course | Evaluation | Treatment | Research Directions | Summary Points | References
Excerpt
Substance use and abuse by adolescents remain
critical problems because of the common use of psychoactive substances
by youth, the ensuing consequences, and the persistence into adulthood
of pathology related to substance use. Clinicians seeking to understand
the risk for substance use and abuse, the acquisition of use behaviors,
and their development into substance use disorders (SUDs) should
consider neurobiology, all aspects of development, and the adolescent.
The treatment should focus on specific substance use behaviors as
well as risk factors that have a role in the onset and maintenance
of SUDs.