Diagnosis and treatment of teen drug use

Small but significant decreases in adolescent abuse of tobacco, alcohol, an d marijuana in recent national surveys allow clinicians to feel some optimi sm about defeating the specter of substance abuse. It appears that changing the perception of risk and increasing adolescent disapproval of substance abuse are key goals. For every adolescent, reducing risk factors while iden tifying and enhancing protective factors optimizes an individual's opportun ity to avoid potentially harmful behaviors. While focusing energy and commi tment on each adolescent, however, clinicians cannot ignore the need for wi der social change because the proximal adolescent domains of individual, fa mily and school factors are interrelated and embedded in the community and societal contexts. Every sector in society plays a crucial role in preventi ng adolescents from experimenting with and continuing to abuse tobacco, alc ohol, or illicit drugs, from parents, physicians, educators, and policy mak ers to every adult invested in the health and well-being of adolescents.