Rehabilitation of the adolescent with a substance use disorder: Overview of treatment efficacy

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.