4 Troubled Teens Blog

A recent report from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) concurs with earlier findings that adolescents suffering from bipolar disorder (BPD) are more likely to smoke and abuse substances. An article on the report appeared in the June 2008 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Timothy Wilens, MD, director of Substance Abuse Services in MGH Pediatric Psychopharmacology and leader researcher on the study, comments on the study findings:

"This work confirms that bipolar disorder (BPD) in adolescents is a huge risk factor for smoking and substance abuse, as big a risk factor as is juvenile delinquency. ... It indicates both that young people with BPD need to carefully be screened for smoking and for substance use and abuse and that adolescents known to abuse drugs and alcoholespecially those who binge useshould also be assessed for BPD."

Experts estimate that as many as 1 in 5 children and adolescents treated for mental health issues have BPD. (Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Labels: mental_health, substance_abuse, bi-polar

Posted By: Aspen Education Group