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Adolescents struggling with major depression often go unidentified and untreated.  These teens run a significant risk of using illegal drugs, alcohol and abusing prescription drugs, with the latest reports showing they are three times more likely to have a substance abuse disorder than teens without depression.

Prevention Connection: Recognizing Depression & Substance Abuse in Adolescents focuses on the complexities of adolescent depression, the risks of co-occurrence of substance abuse, and how early identification can have a positive impact and potentially prevent serious co-morbidities.

Jon Morgenstern, PhD, Professor and Director of Substance Abuse Services, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Fred Muench, PhD, a clinical psychologist and Associate Director of Research at the Partnership for a Drugfree.org, share their insights and take questions on the depression-substance abuse connection and how early identification and collaboration can help reverse these disturbing trends.

Speakers:

Frederick Muench, PhD is the Associate Director of Research at the Partnership at Drugfree.org. He is a clinical psychologist specializing in addictive disorders with young adults and integrating mobile technologies into care.

He joined the Partnership in January 2011 to help direct the organizations research efforts and help develop the clinical support services for parents seeking information and assistance on adolescent substance abuse.

Dr. Muench has been a researcher at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, on the faculty at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and an adjunct faculty member at New York University.

Jon Morgenstern, PhD is a specialist in the treatment of substance use disorders. He is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of Addiction Treatment in the Department of Psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Morgenstern is also a Vice President and Director of Treatment Research at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).

He received his BA from Columbia University in 1977 and his PhD in clinical psychology from NYU in 1987. Prior to joining the faculty at Columbia in 2004, Dr. Morgenstern was an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Addiction Treatment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Morgenstern’s research interests are in the area of cognitive behavioral treatment and the combination of medications and psychotherapy for substance use disorders. Dr. Morgenstern has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles on the treatment of substance use disorders and his treatment research program has been funded continuously by the National Institutes of Health for the last 20 years.