Adolescent drug misuse treatment and use of medical care services

Research on adults has documented that use of medical services decreases after initiation of treatment for alcohol problems, but little is known about this relationship among adolescents. We studied utilization and costs of care following participation in the Adolescent Chemical Health Program (ACHP) of Kaiser Permanente, Northwest Region, in 1986-88. Three groups of adolescents (and their parents) were identified: adolescents who were assessed and initiated treatment in ACHP (n = 561), adolescents who were assessed and recommended for treatment but did not return for treatment (n = 278), and adolescents with no known substance use problems (n = 381). Medical records were reviewed for 1 year pre- and 1.5 years postassessment. After adjusting for preassessment medical visits, severity of alcohol and drug use, gender, and age, analyses suggested that substance user treatment was not associated with reduced use of medical services or costs by either adolescents or parents.