SUBSTANCE-ABUSE IN ADOLESCENT MOTHERS - STRATEGIES FOR DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION

Adolescent drug addiction and alcohol abuse are on the rise in this co untry. Teenagers of all races, socioeconomic groups and both genders h ave become avid experimenters with a full spectrum of substances, incl uding alcohol, marijuana, stimulants, cocaine and hallucinogens. A dia gnosis of addiction requires familiarity with the normative trends of adolescent behavior, as well as deviations from these trends. Moreover , an adolescent mother with a drug addiction problem confronts the add itional burden of fostering adaptive developmental patterns in her inf ant. Treatment techniques such as previewing, which empowers through t he representation and enactment of future outcomes, have helped addict ed teenage mothers relinquish drug use and adopt more mature caregivin g behaviors.