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

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.