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Encyclopedia of Adolescence pp 1430–1435Cite as

Inhalant Use

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Overview

Inhalant use is the intentional inhalation of vapors of different products with the intention of getting high. Inhalants are among the most commonly abused substances among adolescents, in addition to being the most dangerous. This essay provides an overview of the current knowledge of inhalant use. This essay describes the epidemiology of adolescent inhalant use, consequences of inhalants, psychosocial correlates of use, diagnostic challenges, and future directions for research and treatment.

Inhalant use is the intentional inhalation of vapors from commercial products or specific chemical agents for the purpose of achieving intoxication (Weintraub et al. 2000). Inhalant users may inhale vapors from a rag soaked with a substance placed over the mouth or nose, a bag into which a substance has been placed, or directly from a container (Howard and Jenson 1999). Intoxication is rapid in onset and short-lived, although some users repeatedly use inhalants to maintain a preferred...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1080 S. University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Brian E. Perron

  2. UNC School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building, 325 Pittsboro Street CB# 3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3550, USA

    Matthew O. Howard

  3. School of Social Work, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Department of Public Policy Studies, Saint Louis University, Tegeler Hall, 3550 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA

    Michael G. Vaughn

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Michigan State University, B601 West Fee Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Kipling M. Bohnert

Authors
  1. Brian E. Perron
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  2. Matthew O. Howard
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  3. Michael G. Vaughn
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  4. Kipling M. Bohnert
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Correspondence to Brian E. Perron .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

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Perron, B.E., Howard, M.O., Vaughn, M.G., Bohnert, K.M. (2011). Inhalant Use. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_181

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