Addiction Treatment for Youth and Its Impact on Mental Illness

Addiction and Mental Illness§This qualitative case study examined the impact that§treatment for substance dependency had on symptoms of§mental illness in adolescents. Ten graduates of the§Alberta Adolescent Recovery Center (AARC) in Calgary,§Alberta, Canada were interviewed. The most common§symptoms reported by participants were depression and§anxiety. The participants described how symptoms were§impacted at significant milestones in treatment such§as returning to their family home or returning to§school. They also described what was helpful about§the nature of their treatment plans and what was most§difficult for them. §§While the structure of the treatment program remained§the same for all participants, variations in§treatment plans were evident as participants with§psychotic disorders described the psychiatric care§that was incorporated into their treatment. The data§suggested adolescents with comorbid disorders require§a more integrated treatment approach that includes§both psychiatric intervention and treatment for§substance dependency.