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AHCPR Archived reports, Put Prevention Into Practice and Minnesota Health Technology Advisory Committee SAMHSA/CSAT Treatment Improvement Protocols

31. TIP 31: Screening and Assessing Adolescents for Substance Use Disorders

Title Page

Screening and Assessing Adolescents For Substance Use Disorders

Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 31

Ken C. Winters, Ph.D.

Revision Consensus Panel Chair

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

Rockwall II, 5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, MD 20857

DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 99-3282

Printed 1999

Link to the National Guideline Clearinghousetop link

Disclaimer

This publication is part of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant technical assistance program. All material appearing in this volume except that taken directly from copyrighted sources is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) or the authors. Citation of the source is appreciated.

This publication was written under contract number 270-95-0013 with The CDM Group, Inc. (CDM). Sandra Clunies, M.S., I.C.A.D.C., served as the CSAT government project officer. Rose M. Urban, M.S.W., J.D., C.S.A.C., served as the CDM TIPs project director. Other CDM TIPs personnel included Y-Lang Nguyen, production/copy editor, Raquel Ingraham, M.S., project manager, Virginia Vitzthum, former managing editor, Mary Smolenski, Ed.D., C.R.N.P., former project director, and MaryLou Leonard, former project manager.

The opinions expressed herein are the views of the Consensus Panel members and do not reflect the official position of CSAT, SAMHSA, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). No official support or endorsement of CSAT, SAMHSA, or DHHS for these opinions or for particular instruments or software that may be described in this document is intended or should be inferred. The guidelines proffered in this document should not be considered as substitutes for individualized client care and treatment decisions.top link

What Is a TIP?

Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) are best practice guidelines for the treatment of substance use disorders, provided as a service of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). CSAT's Office of Evaluation, Scientific Analysis and Synthesis draws on the experience and knowledge of clinical, research, and administrative experts to produce the TIPs, which are distributed to a growing number of facilities and individuals across the country. The audience for the TIPs is expanding beyond public and private treatment facilities for substance use disorders as substance use disorders are increasingly recognized as a major problem.

The TIPs Editorial Advisory Board, a distinguished group of substance use disorder experts and professionals in such related fields as primary care, mental health, and social services, works with the State Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Directors to generate topics for the TIPs based on the field's current needs for information and guidance.

After selecting a topic, CSAT invites staff from pertinent Federal agencies and national organizations to a Resource Panel that recommends specific areas of focus as well as resources that should be considered in developing the content of the TIP. Then recommendations are communicated to a Consensus Panel composed of non-Federal experts on the topic who have been nominated by their peers. This Panel participates in a series of discussions; the information and recommendations on which they reach consensus form the foundation of the TIP. The members of each Consensus Panel represent treatment programs for substance use disorders, hospitals, community health centers, counseling programs, criminal justice and child welfare agencies, and private practitioners. A Panel Chair (or Co-Chairs) ensures that the guidelines mirror the results of the group's collaboration.

A large and diverse group of experts closely reviews the draft document. Once the changes recommended by these field reviewers have been incorporated, the TIP is prepared for publication, in print and online. The TIPs can be accessed via the Internet on the National Library of Medicine's home page at the URL: http://text.nlm.nih.gov. The move to electronic media also means that the TIPs can be updated more easily so they continue to provide the field with state-of-the-art information.

Although each TIP strives to include an evidence base for the practices it recommends, CSAT recognizes that the field of substance use disorder treatment is evolving, and published research frequently lags behind the innovations pioneered in the field. A major goal of each TIP is to convey "front-line" information quickly but responsibly. For this reason, recommendations proffered in the TIP are attributed to either Panelists' clinical experience or the literature. If there is research to support a particular approach, citations are provided.

This TIP, Screening and Assessing Adolescents for Substance Use Disorders, updates TIP 3, published in 1993, and presents information on identifying, screening, and assessing adolescents who use substances. Adolescents differ from adults both physiologically and emotionally as they make the transition from child to adult. Although experimentation with substances is common with this population, substance abuse can seriously impair development, leaving an adolescent unprepared for the demands of adulthood. Therefore, it is important for a wide range of professionals who come into regular contact with adolescents to recognize the signs of substance use. This TIP focuses on the most current procedures and instruments for detecting substance abuse among adolescents, conducting comprehensive assessments, and beginning treatment planning. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the document. Chapters 2 and 3 present appropriate strategies and guidelines for screening and assessment. An explanation of legal issues concerning Federal and State confidentiality laws appears in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 provides guidance for screening and assessing adolescents in juvenile justice settings. Appendix B summarizes instruments to screen and assess adolescents for substance abuse and general functioning domains, many of them updated since 1993. Appendix C excerpts a 1998 publication on drug testing juvenile detainees prepared under a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Other TIPs may be ordered by contacting SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI), (800) 729-6686 or (301) 468-2600; TDD (for hearing impaired), (800) 487-4889.top link

Editorial Advisory Board


Karen Allen, Ph.D., R.N., C.A.R.N.
President of the National Nurses Society on Addictions
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry, Community Health, and Adult Primary Care
University of Maryland
School of Nursing
Baltimore, Maryland

Richard L. Brown, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor
Department of Family Medicine
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Madison, Wisconsin

Dorynne Czechowicz, M.D.
Associate Director
Medical/Professional Affairs
Treatment Research Branch
Division of Clinical and Services Research
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Rockville, Maryland

Linda S. Foley, M.A.
Former Director
Project for Addiction Counselor Training
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Directors
Washington, D.C.

Wayde A. Glover, M.I.S., N.C.A.C. II
Director
Commonwealth Addictions Consultants and Trainers
Richmond, Virginia

Pedro J. Greer, M.D.
Assistant Dean for Homeless Education
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, Florida

Thomas W. Hester, M.D.
Former State Director
Substance Abuse Services
Division of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse
Georgia Department of Human Resources
Atlanta, Georgia

Gil Hill
Director
Office of Substance Abuse
American Psychological Association
Washington, D.C.

Douglas B. Kamerow, M.D., M.P.H.
Director
Office of the Forum for Quality and Effectiveness in Health Care
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
Rockville, Maryland

Stephen W. Long
Director
Office of Policy Analysis
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Rockville, Maryland

Richard A. Rawson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Matrix Center and Matrix Institute on Addiction
Deputy Director, UCLA Addiction Medicine Services
Los Angeles, California

Ellen A. Renz, Ph.D.
Former Vice President of Clinical Systems
MEDCO Behavioral Care Corporation
Kamuela, Hawaii

Richard K. Ries, M.D.
Director and Associate Professor
Outpatient Mental Health Services and Dual Disorder Programs
Harborview Medical Center
Seattle, Washington

Sidney H. Schnoll, M.D., Ph.D.
Chairman
Division of Substance Abuse Medicine
Medical College of Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Consensus Panel

1997-98 Revision Consensus Panel Chair


Ken Winters, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry
University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic
Minneapolis, Minnesota
1997-98 Revision Consensus Panel


Gayle A. Dakof, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Center for Family Studies
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, Florida
Richard Dembo, Ph.D.
Professor of Criminology
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
Nancy Jainchill, Ph.D.
Senior Principal Investigator
Center for Therapeutic Community Research
National Development and Research Institutes
New York, New York
Michele D. Kipke, Ph.D.
Director
Board on Children, Youth, and Families National Research Council
Institute of Medicine
Washington, D.C.
John R. Knight, M.D.
Associate Director for Medical Education
Division on Addictions
Harvard Medical School
Assistant in Medicine
Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
Howard Liddle, Ed.D.
Professor and Director
Center for Treatment Research and Adolescent Drug Abuse
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, Florida
1992--93 Consensus Panel Co-Chairs


Tom McLellan, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Richard Dembo, Ph.D.
Professor of Criminology
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
1992--93 Workgroup Leaders


Murray Durst
Manager
Substance Abuse Programs
National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges
University of Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Terence McSherry, M.P.H., M.P.A.
Executive Director
North-East Treatment Centers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Roger Peters, Ph.D.
University of South Florida
Florida Mental Health Institute
Department of Law and Mental Health
Tampa, Florida
1992--93 Workgroup Members


Linda Albrecht
Facility Director
Lansing Residential Center
New York State Division for Youth
Lansing, New York
Jack Araza, Ph.D.
Nevada Certified Psychologist and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor
Carson City, Nevada
Andrea G. Barthwell, M.D.
Medical Director
Interventions
Chicago, Illinois
La Claire Bouknight, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Medical Director
Residential Care Division
Michigan Department of Social Services
Maxey Training School
Whitmore Lake, Michigan
Wesley R. Bowman, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Director
PACE, Inc.
Wilmington, Delaware
Margaret K. Brooks, J.D.
Consultant
Montclair, New Jersey
Cheryl G. Davis, M.S.W.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Advisor
Chelsea School District
Chelsea, Michigan
Donald W. Dew, Ed.D., C.R.C.
Director of Regional Rehabilitation and Continuing Education Program
Washington, D.C.
Harvey M. Goldstein
Assistant Director for Probation
Administration Office of the Courts
Trenton, New Jersey
Peter E. Leone, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Maryland
Department of Special Education
College Park, Maryland
Kenneth F. Pompi, Ph.D.
Vice President
Research and Information Management
Abraxas Group, Inc.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Gloria M. Roney, L.I.S.W.
Clinical Director
Hogares Incorporated
Albuquerque, New Mexico
John L. Syphax, M.D.
Director
Inpatient Psychiatry
Howard University Hospital
Washington, D.C.
Anne Wake, Ph.D.
Private Practitioner
Washington, D.C.
Barbara J. Wiest, M.A.
Program Supervisor
Youth Alcohol and Drug Treatment and Prevention Programs
Clackamas County Mental Health
Marylhurst College
Marylhurst, Oregon
Foreword

The Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) series fulfills SAMHSA/CSAT's mission to improve treatment of substance use disorders by providing best practices guidance to clinicians, program administrators, and payors. TIPs are the result of careful consideration of all relevant clinical and health services research findings, demonstration experience, and implementation requirements. A panel of non-Federal clinical researchers, clinicians, program administrators, and patient advocates debates and discusses their particular area of expertise until they reach a consensus on best practices. This panel's work is then reviewed and critiqued by field reviewers.

The talent, dedication, and hard work that TIPs panelists and reviewers bring to this highly participatory process have bridged the gap between the promise of research and the needs of practicing clinicians and administrators. We are grateful to all who have joined with us to contribute to advances in the substance use disorder treatment field.


Nelba Chavez, Ph.D.
Administrator
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., CAS, FASAM
Director
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

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