Drug use in adolescents frequently overlaps with
other mental health problems. For example, a
teen with a substance use disorder is more likely
to have a mood, anxiety, learning, or behavioral
disorder too. Sometimes drugs can make
accurately diagnosing these other problems
complicated. Adolescents may begin taking
drugs to deal with depression or anxiety, for
example; on the other hand, frequent drug use
may also cause or precipitate those disorders.
Adolescents entering drug abuse treatment
should be given a comprehensive mental health
screening to determine if other disorders are
present. Effectively treating a substance use
disorder requires addressing drug abuse and
other mental health problems simultaneously.