Clinical management of child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies in patients with substance abuse

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of substance  abuse disorders in child and adolescent patients within its frequent psychiatric emergency setting. It describes the clinical features that define the high complexity of these cases, the current state of knowledge regarding clinical management of child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies in patients with substance abuse disorders, and the available treatment strategies in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Finally, this article delves into the existence of a metropolitan addiction treatment network, its community outreach and the obstacles it has to conquer in order to attain the international standards for the treatment of substance abuse disorders.