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About 50% of teenagers with mental health disorders also have substance use disorders, indicating a link between the two. Adolescents often turn to substance use as a way to escape and self-medicate. In the past, treatment teams for substance use and mental health didn't collaborate, but now they do. Treating both disorders together can decrease symptoms and improve coping mechanisms, while treating them separately may worsen symptoms. Are teens simply rebellious, or is there a deeper, mental aspect? About 50% of adolescents who struggle with a mental health disorder, such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, just to name a few, also actually meet criteria for a substance use disorder. So that's where that experimental use disorder comes in. Based on the research and evidence from Dr. Amy Kuehler, she highlights the emotional aspect of the issue. It shows that adolescents who struggle with mental health disorders are more likely to turn to substance use as a way to escape and self-medicate. This helps emphasize the significance of mental health in relation to substance abuse amongst teens. The connection between mental health and substance use shows that 50% of adolescents with mental health disorders meet the criteria for substance use disorders. Treatment teams for substance use disorders and mental health weren't collaborating in the past, but they are now. And so they're being able to bring the best of both worlds together. Which seems important because the two seem to go sort of hand-in-hand. Absolutely, yep. So when you actually treat both of them together, you can decrease the symptoms and increase one's coping mechanisms. When you try to do one at a time, you actually run the risk of increasing somebody's symptoms of the illness.