An analysis of stressors and co-morbid mental health problems that contribute to youths' paths to substance-specific services

Substance-specific services are tailored to address the inappropriate use o f chemicals such as alcohol and marijuana. Unfortunately, few teens ever ac cess such need-based services. This article explores the paths to substance -specific service use in a sample of urban adolescents who are public servi ce sector users: a direct path from substance misuse and an indirect path f rom general mental health service use. Results indicate that even though a significant percentage of youths frequently consume substances and display negative use-related behaviors, few actually received substance-specific se rvices. Contributors to the substance misuse path included youths' family s ubstance dependence and environmental stressors. Contributors to the mental health services path were comorbid depression and substance misuse.