Role of Psychiatric Nursing Staff in a Newly Founded Ward for Treatment of Adolescents Facing Addiction

Introduction: Psychiatric nurses play a pivotal role in addiction treatment across various
settings and age groups. Their contributions involve crucial aspects such as assessment and
screening, educative and preventative work, therapeutic and emotional support, facilitating
group therapy sessions, medication management and administration, managing and
monitoring withdrawal symptoms, and crisis intervention. Treatment of adolescents with
addiction poses unique complexities compared to adult addiction treatment, demanding a
more holistic and personalized approach and care that considers the unique developmental,
psychological, and social factors associated with this particular age group. Psychiatric nurses
potentially assume a vital role in addressing these complexities and are instrumental in
ensuring successful treatment outcomes within specialized adolescent addiction treatment
units, such as the newly established ward at the Center for Treatment of Drug Addiction
(CDTA).

Methods: A comprehensive literature review will be conducted in the following databases to
explore the nursing role in addiction treatment and addiction treatment specifically tailored
for adolescents facing addiction: MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing
and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Google Scholar.

Results: The findings will be categorized, analyzed, and synthesized in alignment with
experiential findings from the newly established ward for adolescents facing addiction. This
comprehensive approach will provide a basic understanding of the nursing role in adolescent
addiction treatment and its impact on treatment outcomes.

Conclusion: Treatment of adolescents with addiction is a multifaceted effort that
necessitates the continuous engagement of a multidisciplinary healthcare team and all
included healthcare professionals. Psychiatric nurses, with their specialized skills and
expertise, play a pivotal role in this process, possessing the potential to significantly
influence treatment outcomes. However, it is crucial to provide additional education and
specialization to psychiatric nurses working with adolescents facing addiction, as out-of-
school knowledge in this specific field remains somewhat limited. By addressing this
knowledge deficiency, we can empower psychiatric nurses to become even more effective in
their support to adolescents and their recovery journeys.