Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Adolescents

"Between 2018 and 2023, rates of opioid-related deaths in US adolescents ages 12–17 increased approximately 280 percent, while increasing 65 percent in adults.1 These increases in adolescent deaths have called attention to the importance of access to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment for youth.2 High-quality, accessible adolescent OUD treatment has implications not only for the adolescent years but also throughout the life course: Adolescence is a critical developmental period, and an ideal window of opportunity for early intervention and treatment, as most people who develop a substance use disorder begin using substances during adolescence.3

"OUD treatment needs are often different in adolescents than adults.4 For instance, treatment decisions for adolescents generally involve parents, guardians, or caregivers.5,6 Furthermore, adolescents may engage with different treatment referral sources than adults (for example, schools versus employers, pediatricians versus adult medicine physicians) and connect with legal or social (for example, criminal or child welfare) systems under potentially different circumstances and consequences than adults.6,7 Adolescents and adults may also differ in terms of their life responsibilities and the developmental, psychosocial, and socioeconomic needs most salient to opioid use and treatment."