Characteristics of Youth Presenting to a Canadian Youth Concurrent Disorders Program: Clinical Complexity, Trauma, Adaptive Functioning and Treatment Priorities.
OBJECTIVE
This study describes clinical characteristics of youth presenting for service at a Canadian youth concurrent mental health and substance use disorders (SUD) program.


METHODS
Participants were 100 adolescents and emerging adults (aged 14-25) who attended a Canadian concurrent mental health and substance use disorders outpatient program. SUDs were assigned using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Self-reported mental health symptoms, trauma exposure and adaptive functioning were also assessed.


RESULTS
Eighty-three percent of participants scored over the clinical cut-off on at least one mental health scale and 33% reported at least one suicide attempt. Sixty-six percent met criteria for a current SUD; 96% met lifetime criteria. Exposure to adverse events was nearly universal (94%). Almost half of female (46%) and almost a third of male (31%) participants endorsed symptoms consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Youth reported impairment and need for support in multiple domains of functioning, including school, peer, family and mental health. Substance use was least likely to be identified as a treatment priority.


CONCLUSIONS
High rates of adverse events and PTSD highlight the need for trauma-informed care when providing services to this vulnerable population. Functional impairment in domains related to developmental transitions and tasks underscores the need for a developmental lens and integrated treatment that goes beyond mental health and SUD symptoms and addresses developmentally relevant domains during this transitional age.
Outpatient Psychiatry Department, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia; Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Rosalind E H
RE
Catchpole
Child, Youth, and Family Service, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
E B
EB
Brownlie
adolescent; concurrent disorders; posttraumatic stress disorder; trauma-informed care; youth