Psychosis and Substance Use

in Adolescents and Young Adults

April 5, 2027, 1:00 - 3:00pm CDT
Virtual via Zoom
Fee: $10 full members; $25 partial members and nonmembers
Continuing Education Hours: 2.0

Register

Course Description

Designed for healthcare and community providers, this program clarifies the defining characteristics of psychosis, including disorganized thinking and behavior in the youth demographic. The curriculum traces the natural history of psychotic disorders while highlighting the mechanisms by which substance use complicates diagnosis and prognosis. By summarizing current evidence on the impact of cannabis and stimulant use, this session provides a roadmap for understanding how dose and initiation age influence long-term outcomes. Participants will leave with a practical toolkit of early psychosis resources to better serve adolescents in a community context.

Learning Objectives:

• Define psychosis and identify core psychotic symptoms—including delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking or behavior, and negative symptoms—in adolescents and young adults.
• Describe the epidemiology and natural history of psychotic disorders in adolescents and young adults, including duration of untreated psychosis.
• Explain the relationship between substance use and psychosis, including mechanisms by which substances may precipitate psychosis or mask an underlying primary psychiatric disorder.
• Summarize current evidence linking specific substances to psychosis, with emphasis on cannabis and stimulant use, age of initiation, dose or potency, and prognostic implications.
• Introduce and familiarize participants with clinical, community, and early psychosis resources to support adolescents and young adults with psychotic symptoms in the context of substance use.

Laura Grubb, MD, MPH

I am a board-certified pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist with over 25 years of experience advancing adolescent behavioral health through clinical care, public health leadership, and national advocacy. My expertise centers on youth substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery, with a strong focus on implementing trauma informed, evidence-based practices across clinical and community settings. As a Subject Matter Expert for the New England ATTC and consultant to the Opioid Response Network, I provide targeted technical assistance (TTA), training, and policy-informed consultation to behavioral health providers and systems. My work supports systems level integration of adolescent substance use services, including medication for opioid use disorder, and enhances provider capacity through tailored curricula and strategic planning. I bring extensive experience in academic medicine, federal service, and program development, which positions me to contribute meaningfully to clients’ mission of building workforce competency in substance use care.