Characteristics of adolescents in residential treatment for heroin dependence

A retrospective review of the clinical charts of 97 adolescents who had received residential treatment for heroin dependence was conducted to determine predictors of heroin use. The average age for the adolescent patients reviewed was 17 years. Almost half of the adolescents (48%) were female and over half of the adolescents (53.6%) used heroin intravenously. Both males and females had substantial heroin habits, but differing amounts of use. Boys used an average of six bags of heroin per day and girls used an average of four bags of heroin per day. Using gender, age, number of heroin dependence symptoms, and other substances as predictors, 64.21% of the adolescents were correctly classified as injectors or noninjectors of heroin. Heroin appears to be a significant drug of abuse among these predominately white, middle class, suburban adolescents.