Psychosocial Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in AdolescentsAnilMalhotraauthorDebasishBasuauthorNitinGuptaauthorPsychosocial treatment for substance use disorders is a broad "umbrella" term that brings
under its folds a diverse array of non-pharmacological interventions for effective and
global management of drug abuse. The common thread underlying these interventions is
that they do not involve prescribing medicines in any form. This does not mean, however,
that psychosocial treatment has any conflict with pharmacological treatment. Quite on the
contrary, it has been documented that each modality of treatment helps the other.
Specifically, psychosocial interventions can enhance pharmacological treatment efficacy
by increasing medication compliance, retention in treatment, and acquisition of skills that
reinforce the effects of medications.
Other than this short-term goal of strengthening pharmacological efficacy, psychosocial
treatment serves the even more important long-term goal of abstinence maintenance.
Getting detoxified from an abused drug is relatively much easier than staying away from
the drug in the long run, as evidenced by the world-wide high rate of relapse of treated
drug addicts. Psychosocial treatment aims to overcome, or approximate, this difficult
challenge. Staying drug free for a long period of time may be practically impossible for a
substance abuser living a particular life style, often in a drug-using "sub-culture", where
the primary preoccupation’s and themes of living revolve around drugs. Thus, long-term
abstinence also necessarily implies, ultimately, a change of life style and adoption of a
more productive life style. Accordingly, it follows that these are also the ultimate goals of
psychosocial treatment for substance use disorders.Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health2005-01Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental HealthJournal (Paginated)