NCJ Number
179371
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 38 Issue: 9 Dated: September 1999 Pages: 1102-1108
Date Published
September 1999
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study explored the relationship between psychiatric status and the use of alcohol, drug, and mental health (ADM) services among a sample of American Indian (AI) juvenile detainees.
Abstract
A structured diagnostic and service-use interview was administered to 150 AI youths detained in a juvenile detention center located on a Northern Plains reservation. Forty percent of AI youths with a diagnosed substance use disorder and 34.1 percent with a diagnosed anxiety, mood, or disruptive behavioral disorder reported lifetime use of services for substance use and emotional problems, respectively. Although services for substance use problems were most often provided in residential settings, services for emotional problems were most commonly provided in outpatient settings. Traditional healers and pastoral counselors provided services to 23.7 percent and 29.6 percent of youths who received services for substance use and emotional problems, respectively. Detained youths were more likely to receive ADM services than AI adolescents living at-large in another, comparable Northern Plains reservation community. Still, the vast majority of youths in detention who suffered from psychiatric disorders did not report use of ADM services. Detention facilities that serve AI adolescents should screen carefully for the presence of psychiatric disorders and facilitate the use of ADM services. 3 tables and 25 references