Reuters reported May 18 that 55 percent of the 400 12- to 18-year-olds studied by Kaiser Permanente Northern California researchers had mental-health problems such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or behavioral disorders. Further, those who received treatment for these problems were 57 percent more likely to remain abstinent for a period of six months.

The authors also found that of the young patients studied at four Kaiser addiction treatment programs, only 54 percent of those with mental-health problems were referred to a psychiatric evaluation. One-third of the patients suffered from clinical depression, while 17 percent had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and 16 percent had anxiety disorders.

Study authors Stack Sterling and Constance Weisner said that, nationally, addiction treatment programs vary widely in their ability to detect and treat mental illness, and that some patients and parents may not want additional treatment while grappling with addiction. Or, it may be that addiction and mental-health providers are not communicating adequately about patients.

Of the four programs in the study, two had addiction and mental-health services located in the same building or across the street from each other, while the others had access to mental-health services at a remote location.

The research was published in the May 2005 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Epidemiological Research.

Sterling, S., & Weisner, C. (2005) Chemical Dependency and Psychiatric Services for Adolescents in Private Managed Care: Implications for Outcomes. Alcoholism: Clinical & Epidemiological Research, 29(5): 801-809.

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