Module 2: Screening and Assessment

1. Mental Health, Substance Use, and Co-occurring Disorders

It is difficult to provide exact numbers regarding how many youth in juvenile justice suffer from mental health and substance use disorders. There are only a few quality studies of youth involved with the juvenile justice system who have mental health and/or substance abuse disorders. Studies that have been done were conducted in different settings, with different research methods, and with different assessment techniques; not surprisingly, they found different rates of disorders. Despite these limitations, studies clearly show that youth involved with the juvenile justice system have significantly higher rates of mental health and substance use disorders than youth in the general population (Dembo et al., 1990; APA, 1994; McManus et al., 1984; Milin et al., 1991; Otto et al., 1992).

This section provides information on the prevalence and types of mental health disorders and substance use disorders as well as a general discussion of co-occurring disorders among youth in the juvenile justice system.