TREATMENT OPTIONS HAVE BEEN SQUEEZED FOR TEENS

There are about 20 treatment centers in the St. Louis area that serve teens
who are suffering from alcohol or drug addiction, down from about 40 such
locations in the 1980s.

Dan Duncan, director of community services for the local office of the
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, says the length of treatment
time has declined along with the number of treatment facilities. The
average stay now is three to five days, down from three to five weeks 15
years ago.

Of the 20 treatment centers, about half are publicly funded and half are
private. Insurance is accepted at all private centers. Duncan says the
biggest problem with the public facilities is waits of four to eight weeks.

There is usually no waiting at the private centers.

Long waits are a disincentive for most people seeking treatment, which is
generally a decision that is made impulsively and often follows a crisis of
some sort, Duncan says.

Length of stays and the number of centers have declined because of cost
containment efforts by insurance companies, according to Duncan. The result
has been a lower level of care than he would like to see.

"To my mind, it's a crime," Duncan says. "It is not right. People who
suffer from addiction disease, young or old, deserve the same care that
they would get if they suffered from some other disease."

Studies have shown that the longer a person undergoes treatment, the better
the outcome, he adds. The real key is to have customized treatment so that
people can get what they need, whether it is inpatient treatment,
outpatient treatment or a combination of the two.

Jane West, director of clinical services for St. Anthony's Medical Center,
which includes the Hyland Behavioral Health program, says the average
length of stay at Hyland is 6.3 days.

At that point, a person is usually referred to a lower level of care,
generally an outpatient program. West says that in outpatient treatment, a
person could be partially hospitalized, which involves spending days in the
program center and nights at home, or in intensive outpatient treatment, in
which a person spends four hours a day at the center and the rest of the
time at home.

Hyland also offers family programs in the evenings and on weekends. There
is no additional cost for those programs, West says.

Young people under age 18 must be signed into treatment by a parent or
guardian. If a minor resists treatment, and is in a volatile state, experts
suggest calling a local police department or seeking help from the juvenile
court system in their area.

Hyland Center has round-the-clock admitting numbers that are staffed by
counselors who will talk to a caller, help evaluate the situation and
discuss possible treatment. Those numbers are 314-525-4400 or 1-800-525-2032.

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse will also help evaluate a
person's condition and refer him or her to a suitable treatment center. The
council's numbers are: 314-962-3456 in Brentwood and 314-664-7550 in St. Louis.