Developing a public anti-drug program that really works has not been easy. 

But now a new antidrug program tested in Europe, Australia and Canada is showing promise. Called Preventure, the program, developed by Patricia Conrod, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, recognizes how a child’s temperament drives his or her risk for drug use — and that different traits create different pathways to addiction. Early trials show that personality testing can identify 90 percent  of the highest risk children, targeting risky traits before they cause problems.

Preventure’s personality testing programs focus on four risky traits: sensation-seeking, impulsiveness, fear of anxiety and hopelessness.

A child who begins using drugs out of a sense of hopelessness has a quite different goal than one who seeks thrills.

Preventure starts with an intensive two- to three-day training for teachers, who are given a crash course in therapy techniques proven to fight psychological problems. The idea is to prevent people with outlying personalities from becoming entrenched in disordered thinking that can lead to dangerous behaviour.

Preventure’s personality testing programs focus on senation-seeking, impulsiveness, fear of anxiety & hopelessness

When the school year starts, middle schoolers take a personality test to identify the outliers. Months later, two 90-minute workshops — framed as a way to channel your personality toward success — are offered to the whole school, with only a limited number of slots. Overwhelmingly, most students sign up, Dr Conrod says.