'Lack of drug treatment' for young addicts

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by Change | 2 Mar 2009

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Young people in the US need better access to drug treatment services that are designed to deal with their specific needs, a study has concluded.

Young people in the US with addiction problems are not getting the targeted drug treatment that they need, it has been claimed.

Research from the University of Kentucky has suggested that just ten per cent of adolescents in the US that need help for substance abuse problems actually enter into drug treatment programmes.

One of the main reasons for this was the country's lack of adolescent-only drug treatment services, the study suggested, meaning many young people with drug addictions cannot get access to the tailored treatment that they need.

"Less than one-third of addiction programs in the US have a specialized program for adolescents," said study author Hannah Knudsen.

"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 risk behaviors," she added.

The Sunset Malibu rehab center has previously highlighted the importance of tailoring treatment services to the individual involved, rather than offering once-size-fits-all solutions to drug addiction.

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