Multi-prong therapies centred on the family emerge as probably the most effective in this comprehensive and careful synthesis of the results of trials of non-residential programmes for substance using teenagers – but do the outcomes warrant the extra costs?

Key points from summary and commentary
• Studies included in the analysis were required to involve an identifiable non-residential treatment for substance use problems for patients aged between 12 and 20.
• Generally the substance use outcomes of the various distinct treatment types represented in the studies did not significantly differ
• The exception was family therapies, which returned the most convincing and consistent evidence of comparative effectiveness, but even here the evidence was too limited to support definitive conclusions