ABSTRACT
Accidents, suicide, and homicide account for 80% of adolescent deaths, 1 with substance abuse the major precipitant for most of this premature mortality and morbidity. 2 Drugs and alcohol are involved in 50% of these deaths. 1,3 Adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 are now the only group in the United States whose life span is decreasing, and driving while drunk is the most common cause of death in this population. 2 The problem has reached epidemic proportions. Indeed, its extent most likely has been underestimated, since many psychiatrists and other physicians receive little training in the recognition and treatment of adolescent substance abuse.
