Prescription Stimulant Misuse in Adolescents: A Developmental and Clinical Perspective for Psychiatric Nurses

This presentation equips psychiatric–mental health nurses with a developmentally informed, evidence-based approach to caring for adolescents with a stimulant use disorder diagnosis. It provides an age-appropriate, nonjudgmental overview of stimulant use and stimulant use disorder in adolescents, addressing both prescribed stimulants (e.g., medications for ADHD) and non-prescribed/illicit stimulants (e.g., cocaine and methamphetamine). Participants will review how stimulants affect the brain and body, why adolescent neurodevelopment can increase vulnerability to risk-taking and rapid escalation, and how stimulant misuse may present alongside anxiety, mood symptoms, sleep disruption, irritability, agitation, paranoia, or suicidality. The presentation emphasizes early identification and practical nursing interventions across settings. Participants will learn strategies to recognize risk factors (e.g., co-occurring mental health conditions, trauma exposure, academic or social stressors, impulsivity, peer influence, access to medications, polysubstance use) and warning signs (e.g., changes in sleep, appetite, mood, school functioning, relationships, vital signs, and safety behaviors). Evidence-informed approaches to assessment and treatment are highlighted, including screening and brief intervention, motivational interviewing–consistent communication, safety planning, safety-focused interventions, medication safety (secure storage, diversion prevention, and adherence support), and coordinated referral to specialty treatment when indicated. Family-centered care and community partnerships are integrated throughout. The presentation reviews strategies for engaging caregivers and adolescents collaboratively, reducing stigma, supporting informed decision-making, and connecting families with school-based support, outpatient and intensive services, crisis resources, and recovery supports. Participants leave with practical tools to help adolescents make safer choices while promoting stability, functioning, and long-term wellness.

Presenter:  Mindy Fabbro, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC 
Facilitator:  Trisha Charbonneau-Ivey, BA, MSHAL 
Interdisciplinary Team:  Jen Kreiner, MSN, NP-C, PMHNP-BC; Matthew Mitchell, DHA, LMSW, CCS CAADC; Jill Covyeou, Pharm.D.; Ricardo Bowden, MA, CPC, CADC, CPRM, CPR  

Disclosures:  The APNA planners and faculty have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. Off-label uses will not be discussed during this presentation.  

Session Length:  2 hours

Target Audience:  RN, APRN 


Learning Outcome: 
Upon completion of this program, the participant will be able to: 

• Identify one new or reinforced piece of knowledge gained from this session.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Describe developmental drivers of prescription stimulant misuse in adolescents.
2. Identify common patterns of misuse and related substances encountered in clinical practice.
   
3. Recognize key psychiatric, behavioral, and medical red flags.
   
4. Apply screening, assessment, and differential diagnosis strategies.
   
5. Discuss evidence-based treatment and family-centered risk reduction.
   

Key Takeaways: 

1. Screen adolescents for stimulant use early and often.
   
2. Recognize subtle patterns of stimulant misuse in the adolescent population.
   
3. Address underlying drivers (ADHD, anxiety, sleep, academic pressure) that might trigger stimulant use.
   
4. Reinforce safe, sustainable coping strategies.
   
5. Support adolescents, using parents and school educators, to help provide prevention, early intervention, and treatment strategies.
   

Keywords:  Opioid Use Disorder, Stimulant Use Disorder, Adolescent, Medications


Nursing Continuing Professional Development:
2.0 contact hours.  * In order to receive contact hours, participants must: Listen to the entire presentation(s), complete the course evaluation, and honor statement before the expiration date. Once all steps are successfully completed, a certificate will be generated online and available for you to print immediately. Credit cannot be earned unless all components are completed. Partial credit will not be awarded.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Grant Statement: 
Funding for this initiative was made possible (in part) by grant no. 1H79TI088037 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Release Date:  June 15, 2026
Access to this course will end:  June 1, 2029

© APNA 2026. Reproducing and distributing this material without the written permission of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) is prohibited. 

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