Dr. Hannah Knudsen found that fewer than one-third of the addiction treatment programs have special teen components. Of the 154 programs she selected at random, only a small number scored high in nine areas of quality. The high-quality programs, fewer than 30% of those evaluated, offered more intensive treatment services, such as residential or inpatient treatment.
"For parents looking for high-quality programs that offer the most comprehensive array of services, a good indicator is whether the program has an inpatient or residential level of care," she said. "The lack of comprehensive services in substance abuse programs for teens raises questions about whether teens will get what they need since we know they are likely to have co-occurring psychiatric conditions and to engage in HIV high-risk behaviors."
This study appears in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.
Labels: addictions, treatment_programs, drug_use
Posted By: Aspen Education Group