Category: substance use disorders

Substance abuse diagnostic test for teens can also predict high risk sexual behavior

October 16, 2009

Boston, Mass. -- Alcohol and drug use are known contributors to adolescents engaging in dangerous sexual activity; leading to substantial health risks such as unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted illnesses, drug overdoses and alcohol poisonings. Yet, research suggests that fewer than half of pediatricians report screening patients for substance use and at-risk sexual behavior.

Pain relief only 1 motive for opioid use among high school seniors

August 3, 2009

Taking opioid drugs without a prescription appears relatively common among high school seniors, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The most common reasons survey respondents gave for taking the medications included relaxation, feeling good or getting high, experimentation and pain relief.

Teen drug use associated with psychiatric disorders later in life

January 14, 2003

Children who start to use alcohol, marijuana or other illicit drugs in their early teen years are more likely to experience psychiatric disorders, especially depression, in their late 20's. Although teens who started smoking at an early age were at increased risk for alcohol dependence and substance use disorders in their late 20's, they did not appear to be at an increased risk for depression or other psychiatric disorders. However, initiating tobacco use in late adolescence was associated with depression and other psychiatric disorders in the late 20s.