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Abstract
Psychiatric symptoms and psychosocial variables were investigated in 54 adolescents who were abusing volatile substances (VS) and referred to a child psychiatry clinic in an urban area of Southeast England. They were compared to a group of adolescents who were referred to the clinic for other reasons and who were not abusing volatile substances, matched for age, gender and area of residence. There were high rates of behavioral symptoms (mostly oppositional and delinquent), emotional symptoms (mostly depressive), and an abundance of adverse life events and family dysfunction among the index group. Among VS abusers, girls tended to show more emotional symptoms than boys. Compared to the control group, VS abusers were only more behaviorally disturbed. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.