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Joanna Quigley, M.D., Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, University of Michigan
Substance-use-related morbidity and mortality continue to increase at an alarming rate. It is imperative to learn, understand, and practice prevention, screening, assessment, and management of youth at risk for substance use to stem this alarming rise in substance use and its sequelae in the pediatric population.
Substance use often starts in late childhood and adolescence, so these age groups are particularly important targets for prevention and early risk mitigation efforts.
Primary care can play a pivotal role in substance use prevention and promoting behavioral health interventions to mitigate the risk of substance use, as highlighted by professional associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Medicine, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Most youth will endorse no use of tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana, and the physician in those cases can play an important role by reinforcing that healthy choice and the benefits of never starting to use.
The unique access and influence pediatricians have on health behaviors throughout the early stages of life make them an essential point of intervention for adolescent substance use.
Resources Mentioned in the Video
Screening Tools
Other Resources
Agerwala SM, McCance-Katz EF. Integrating screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) into clinical practice settings: a brief review. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2012;44(4):307-317. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2012.720169
Hammond CJ, Gray KM. Pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders in youths. J Child Adolesc Subst Abuse. 2016;25(4):292-316. https://doi.org/10.1080/1067828x.2015.1037517
Levy SJL, Williams JF, Committee on Substance Use and Prevention, Ryan SA, Gonzalez PK, Patrick SW, Quigley J, et al. Substance use screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics. 2016;138(1):e20161211. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1211
Miech RA, Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE. Monitoring the future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2015: Volume I, secondary school students. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED578604
Miech RA, Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG, Schulenberg JE, Patrick ME. Monitoring the future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2017: volume I, secondary school students. https://monitoringthefuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/mtf-vol1_2017.pdf
Schwee LH. Pediatric SBIRT: understanding the magnitude of the problem. J Trauma Nurs. 2009;16(3):142-147. https://doi.org/10.1097/jtn.0b013e3181b9e0ee
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP21-07-003, NSDUH Series H-56). Rockville, MD:Center for Behavioral Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/
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