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Review Article

Rehabilitation of the Adolescent with a Substance Use Disorder: Overview of Treatment Efficacy

Maurizio Pompili^1*, Paola Venturini¹, Dorian A. Lamis², Rachel N. Waford², Denise Erbuto¹, Gianluca Serafini³, Mario Amore³, Paolo Girardi¹

¹Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

²Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

³Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, Section of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

*Corresponding Author:

E-mail: maurizio.pompili@uniroma1.it

Background: Several studies have shown that substance use disorder (SUD) 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 SUD in adolescence.

Methods: A careful systematic review of the literature was conducted on the treatment and rehabilitation of adolescents with SUD. A total of 11 articles from peer-reviewed journals were 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 SUD.

Conclusion: Currently, psychological treatments, particularly family therapy, are most frequently applied to adolescents with SUD. Pharmacotherapy is reserved for adolescents with a SUD in co-morbidity with other mental disorders and a therapeutic community is suggested for these at-risk adolescents.