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Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities Home Page
Adolescent Substance Use Treatment Services
Contact Information
275 E. Main Street 4WG
Frankfort, KY 40621
Phone: (502) 564-4456
Fax: (502) 564-9010
Hours: Monday–Friday
8:00 am–4:30 pm ET


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988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

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Youth Substance Use Treatment Administrator
Kate Overberg Wagoner
(502) 782-6236

Adolescence is a tumultuous time as youth attempt to define themselves and become more independent. Most youth progress through the various milestones with little to no difficulty; however, for some, adolescence is the period during which behavioral and emotional difficulties emerge or are exacerbated.

In fact, a recent study estimated that 8 percent of adolescents have a serious emotional disturbance, and 10 percent report having used an illicit drug in the past month.

The University of Kentucky Center on Drug and Alcohol Research states that the neurodevelopment of the brain renders the adolescent brain more vulnerable to addiction than the adult brain, therefore making the effects of substance use more damaging to adolescents' brains than to adults' brains in many ways, and in some cases may have long-lasting effects. Early and effective treatment for substance abuse among adolescents is a high-priority public health problem.

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