Findings from a systematic review by the Children’s Health Policy Centre suggest six implications to better serve young people in BC who are experiencing opioid use disorder:

• Ensure that all young people in need can access timely treatment. Every young person experiencing opioid use disorder needs quick access to effective treatments — and needs to know how to get help in safe ways. While efforts are being made to increase access to this vital form of care, many young people still lack even a primary health care provider. As well, treatments may need to continue over extended periods, or be restarted, given frequent reoccurrence of opioid use following discontinuation of treatment.
• Match the treatment to the individual. Young people with opioid use disorder require a treatment plan that fits with their stage of recovery. For example, abruptly stopping opioid use can cause painful withdrawal symptoms. So for young people at the beginning of their treatment, managing withdrawal symptoms through buprenorphine/naloxone can be helpful.
• Help youth by helping family members. When a young person is struggling with opioid use, everyone around them is deeply affected. Family members often experience great challenges — both in supporting the young person and in coping with the consequences in their own lives. Interventions that include family members are therefore always worth considering.
• Ensure strong practitioner supports. The Compass Mental Health program at BC Children’s Hospital provides support to health care providers treating children and youth with substance use challenges. The BC Centre on Substance Use, through its Provincial Opioid Addiction Treatment Support Program, also provides additional education and training for prescribers, including online courses and preceptorships.
• Conduct more research with young people. Rigorous research is greatly lacking on treatments for opioid use disorder in young people. As a result, practitioners must resort to prescribing medications that have not been optimally evaluated. So new treatment research is urgently needed.
• Remember prevention. Even with adequate treatment, preventing opioid misuse is crucial to meet the collective goal of having fewer young lives harmed or cut short. Prevention is also the most effective way to enable more young people to enjoy years of positive development by avoiding opioid use disorder.

For more information, see Vol. 18, No. 3 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.