Co-occurring addictive and mental disorders among adolescents: prevalence research and future directions.

Recent epidemiological research documenting the pervasive co-occurrence of addictive and mental disorders has been concerned primarily with adults. This paper proposes the need for similar studies of adolescents, considers the special problems inherent in the assessment of co-occurrence in this age group, reviews evidence suggesting that the prevalence of co-occurring disorders in adolescents parallels that documented for adults, and delineates future research strategies.

The challenge of transferring responsibility for diabetes management from parent to child.

To emancipate from their parents, children and adolescents with diabetes eventually must assume responsibility for self-care. The challenge that parents and health care professionals face is deciding when and how to transfer this responsibility from parent to child. Inappropriate transfer of self-care responsibility can precipitate poor metabolic control and strain parent-child relationships. By planning the gradual transfer of this responsibility based on children's cognitive abilities, maturity level, demonstrated self-care skills, and family environment factors, health care providers can minimize these problems.