Prevention Council

Providing Substance Abuse Education, Information and Referral Services

Reader’s View Teens’ mental, social and emotional health

Friday, May 17, 2013
The Saratogian

By Patty Kilgore
Counseling Services Director
The Prevention Council

Editor’s note: Throughout this week, The Saratogian has collaborated with the Prevention Council as part of National Prevention Week. This week-long observance was an opportunity to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues, to promote prevention efforts and to educate our local communities about the factors that influence substance use.

Prevention Week celebrates the idea that everyone has a role to play in prevention. In order to be most effective, prevention should be woven into all aspects of young peoples’ lives.

It’s not easy being a teen. As we well know, adolescents face many challenges as they navigate the teen years. Their bodies are changing, their hormones are surging, their friendships are evolving. They are scrutinizing themselves and each other like never before. Their schoolwork is also getting increasingly demanding as they start thinking about life after high school. There’s an awful lot weighing on these kids’ minds.

Coupled with hormonal changes, teens are more prone to depression and likely to engage in risky and thrill-seeking behaviors than either younger children or adults. That’s why it’s so important that the adults in their lives meet the mental, social, and emotional health needs of this age group in positive and healthy ways.

It comes as no surprise to parents that teens can become particularly emotional over even the smallest problems. It often seems that teens overreact or get overly dramatic with extreme highs and lows in any given situation. But what may seem extreme to an adult is actually quite normal for a teen. Teens feel emotions much more intensely than adults — as much as two to four times stronger. Couple this with very little experience or context for such emotions and it can appear a teen is out of control.

He or she is actually navigating new territory, striving for independence, and developing important interpersonal relationships. Life is becoming more complex, stresses are increasing and at the same time teens are expected to be making some difficult life decisions. These circumstances are enough to overwhelm anyone.

All too frequently, a teen will choose to self-medicate difficult feelings with alcohol or another drug, or use another self-destructive behavior such as cutting, to cope. It’s critical that parents keep communicating with their teens through these rough patches. Provide a safe place to vent feelings, and if necessary, seek professional help for these behaviors. Substances may mask the intensity of the feelings temporarily, but the price might be a long-term addiction problem and a lack of healthy coping skills.

Teens make a lot of mistakes as they discover who they are. One of the hardest things you’ll do as a parent is to allow your child to fail and let him or her experience the natural consequences of their mistake. But healthy coping, decision making and social skills are developed as much through failure as through success. Our instinct is to protect our children from all hurt and pain, but sometimes we need to provide support on the sidelines while allowing them to experience these difficult life lessons.

Because of the intensity of a teen’s feelings, give your teen some space after a particularly difficult emotional time. Allow emotions to subside before starting a discussion. Encourage your teen to find a healthy outlet for his or her emotions, such as journaling, art projects, music or physical activity.

Adolescence is a time of self-discovery and identity development. Teens may try on many different identities as they navigate these years. Don’t fret through this process. Exploring different styles, personalities and friendships encourages healthy development. Just keep in mind, even with these changes, at his or her core, your teen is still the child you know and love.

It’s ironic, but true: parental support and guidance is most important at the very time teens seem to be pushing parents away. Muster the strength to push back. Listen to your teen and really hear what he or she is saying. Validate teens’ feelings while guiding them to find solutions. Parents are the key to keeping adolescents on a healthy path to adulthood.

Reader’s View Understanding the Teen Brain

Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Saratogian

Heather Kisselback
Executive Director
The Prevention Council

Editor’s note: Through Friday, The Saratogian is collaborating with the Prevention Council as part of National Prevention Week. This week-long observance is an opportunity to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues, to promote prevention efforts and to educate our local communities about the factors that influence substance use.Prevention Week celebrates the idea that everyone has a role to play in prevention. In order to be most effective, prevention should be woven into all aspects of young peoples’ lives.

It happens all the time: Our teen acts in a way that leaves us incredulous and we ask, “What were you thinking?” The short answer is: They weren’t. They weren’t thinking about consequences at all. The teen brain doesn’t project into the future like that.

The teenage brain is an amazing machine. During adolescence, the brain undergoes amazing developmental changes, establishing neural pathways and behavior patterns that will last into adulthood. But teens are impulsive and prone to risky behavior for a reason: Their brains are a work in progress that doesn’t get completed until roughly age 25.

Because their brains are so impressionable, adolescents are particularly receptive to the range of positive influences in their lives — family and friends, art and music. But those brains are equally receptive to negative influences. Coupled with hormonal changes, those negative influences make teens more prone to depression and likely to engage in risky and thrill-seeking behaviors than either younger children or adults.

Another thing you should know: The teenage brain is wired for risk. Its reward centers crave excitement. It’s an adult’s job to provide opportunities for healthy risk-taking or teens will seek out the default stimulation: alcohol and drugs. What’s worse, the Prevention Council’s student surveys have shown that when teens experiment with alcohol in particular, they’re not sipping drinks sensibly. They’re pounding alcohol at an alarming rate. We’ve learned over the years that a large percentage of kids who do drink are binge drinking (4-5 or more drinks in one social setting).

This is scary stuff. Alcohol robs the brain of future cognitive functions, especially binge drinking. Alcohol use also interferes with normal development of those all-important neural pathways, affecting learning and memory the most.

We buy our children Baby Einstein DVDs, we quiz them with flashcards and sign them up for Chinese language classes and SAT prep courses. We want them to be the best and the brightest. But if that’s the case, we can’t treat alcohol use as a rite of passage. It undermines all those brain-boosting activities we’ve fostered our kids’ whole lives.

So let’s introduce some fun, engaging stimuli to engage these young brains. How about rock climbing or mountain biking? A high ropes course to get their blood pounding. For other teens the thrills might be more cerebral. Whatever it is, take some time to figure out whatever makes your kid’s heart pound. They crave that feeling. The crave excitement, social bonding, and belonging. These are all necessary for the brain and the child to mature, and can be accomplished in a way that satisfies both parents and teens.

Tomorrow’s topic will be about the importance of emotional and behavioral health to the prevention of teen substance use.

Reader’s View Identifying depression and suicide risk

May 15, 2013

By Patty Kilgore
Director of Counseling Services
The Prevention Council

Editor’s note: Through Friday, The Saratogian is collaborating with the Prevention Council as part of National Prevention Week. This observance is an opportunity to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues, to promote prevention efforts and to educate our local communities about the factors that influence substance use. Prevention Week celebrates the idea that everyone has a role to play in prevention. In order to be most effective, prevention should be woven into all aspects of young peoples’ lives.

The onset of spring brings longer days, warmer temperatures and better moods for most, as we shake off cabin fever and soak up the sun.

Many parents, though, may be discovering that what they thought was a case of the winter blahs for their teen may be something more serious. If the blahs haven’t lifted now that the days are longer and sunnier, your teen may be suffering from depression.

Depression is a treatable condition, but if left untreated it can have tragic results. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents.

And contrary to popular opinion, most teens who take their own life do show signs of distress and frequently make threats or drop hints prior to a lethal attempt.

All threats of self harm and suicide must be taken seriously. These threats should not be simply viewed as attention-seeking behavior.

Something is very wrong when a teen threatens or attempts to end his or her life. It’s important to seek professional help if your teen shows any signs of at-risk behavior, including prolonged sadness, verbalized hopelessness, preoccupation with death, giving away prized possessions or talking about suicide and self-hatred.

Teens who suffer from anxiety or depression are at much higher risk than their peers of using substances as an escape.

When teens don’t get the help they need, it’s common for them to self medicate with whatever substance is easily accessible.

But it’s important to keep in mind that when a teen is feeling suicidal, alcohol and drug use can lead to disaster. Because alcohol and drugs can temporarily numb feelings, a suicidal teen might think it’s the solution.

But it’s a very short-lived solution. Self-medicating leads to increased depression, poor judgment and impulsivity — factors that can have fatal results via accidents or deliberate actions.

The single most important thing adults can do to prevent suicide is to provide support.

Your teenager needs to know that you support and love him or her unconditionally, and that you are willing to help. Moodiness, rebellion and testing limits are normal teen behaviors.

But depression and suicidal thoughts are not. If you suspect your teen is depressed, suicidal or suffering from another mental health condition, please seek help.

Learn the signs of suicidal thoughts and feelings. Trust your gut. You know your child best and you know when something is seriously wrong.

Reader’s View No underage drinking in our house

May 14, 2013
Reader’s View, The Saratogian

Editor’s note: Through Friday, The Saratogian is collaborating with the Prevention Council as part of National Prevention Week. This week-long observance is an opportunity to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues, to promote prevention efforts and to educate our local communities about the factors that influence substance use. Prevention Week celebrates the idea that everyone has a role to play in prevention. In order to be most effective, prevention should be woven into all aspects of young peoples’ lives.

It’s prom season, and along with the dress, the tux, the hair and the nails comes another prom ritual: drinking.

Alcohol is youths’ No. 1 drug of choice. Saratoga County schools have been proactive in many ways to make sure our teens are safe, but they can only control what happens at the prom itself.

Teens have told us they only stay at the prom long enough to take pictures and then they are off. But where are they going? Last year, we heard an alarming number of stories about teens who went to parties at friends’ homes where alcohol was provided — sometimes with parents’ permission, sometimes without. Scary, right?

The term “social host” refers to people who provide alcohol to someone younger than 21. It’s irrelevant whether a parent or guardian is home or not home, aware or unaware. You become a social host when minors drink alcohol on your property, and you can be held liable for endangering the welfare of those minors. It’s illegal to provide alcohol to anyone younger than 21. It’s illegal for them to consume it, too. But when adults make underage drinking possible, whether by actively hosting or passively closing their bedroom door, they will be the ones police track down when things get out of hand.

Our biannual Saratoga County student surveys have consistently shown that most youths who drink get alcohol from a social host: friends or siblings who are older than 21, parents, house parties or by sneaking it from home. Eighty percent of Saratoga teens who drink alcohol reported they did so “at someone’s house.”

So what should you do if you find out about a gathering where alcohol is going to be provided to minors? There is a wonderful, anonymous hotline you can call to report it: 1-866-UNDER21. If you call the hotline before the party, police will contact the homeowner to remind them that serving minors is illegal and that they will be stopping by that evening. If the call is made while a party is already under way, expect some uninvited guests in uniform.

Parents often tell us that they’d rather their children drink at home in a “safe” environment, where they know where their kids are and who they’re with. But don’t think you’re doing your kids and their friends any favors by allowing them to drink with supervision. There is no such thing as a safe environment for underage drinking.

As a host, you cannot predict the behavior of a minor under the influence of alcohol or how much they have consumed. You put teens at risk of alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, violence and physical injury, and you can be held criminally liable for endangering the welfare of a minor. Parents and other adults need to remember that they are the greatest influence on their teens’ decisions. Parents also bear the primary responsibility for their teens’ misconduct.

If you are hosting a group of kids after the prom, promote responsible celebration. Check regularly on the teens who are camping out in your backyard or on the kids hanging out in your basement. Remove alcohol from your home that evening or lock it up. Check in with your teens regularly from a landline phone if they are at a friend’s house. Make sure they know that you expect them to stay sober not only on prom night, but every night they’re out with their friends.
We’ve said it before, but the message bears repeating: The stronger the parental message against underage drinking, the less underage drinking takes place.

Wednesday’s topic will be suicide prevention.

Heather Kisselback
Executive Director
The Prevention Council

Reader’s View Prescription drugs and lethal results

Reader’s View
The Saratogian

Monday, May 13, 2013

Editor’s note: The Saratogian is collaborating with the Prevention Council as part of National Prevention Week. This week-long observance will cover the topics of under-age drinking, prescription drug use, the teenage brain, hosting underage parties, suicide prevention, and the relevance of mental, emotional, and behavioral health to substance use and abuse.

Prescription drugs have become the hot new thing because they’re cheap, they’re easy to come by and kids think they’re safer than street drugs. But nothing could be further from the truth. The way prescription medications are being abused and combined for non-medical purposes is one of the scariest trends in teen culture today.

By the time they get to high school, teens who are inclined toward drug use say they’re bored with the usual ways to get high. They’re willing to experiment with different combinations of drugs to find new ways to chase that thrill. Popping pills is bad enough, but combining different medications and adding alcohol to the mix can have disastrous results.

According to figures provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 91 percent of all unintentional poisoning deaths were caused by drugs, with prescription painkillers involved most often. For children, emergency room visits from medication poisonings happen twice as often as poisonings from other household products.

But even without poisonings or overdoses, there is serious cause for concern.

Prescription drugs are gateway drugs for later use of heroin, cocaine and other street drugs. What begins as experimentation can easily lead to serious, life-changing addiction problems down the line.

The prescription medications we hear about most at the Prevention Council are painkillers such as Oxycontin, Oxycodone and Vicodin, and anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax. These drugs are not only addictive, but they’re widely prescribed, and combined with alcohol, very dangerous. They cause 26,000 deaths a year according to estimates by the Prescription Monitoring Program Center of Excellence at Brandeis University.

In local focus groups, Saratoga County teens have told us they also use drugs like Ritalin to help focus on school work. The good news is that in previous surveys, administered by the Prevention Council to 7-12 graders every other year, only a small number of teens report using prescription drugs regularly. Experimentation, however, is happening on a larger scale, with the number of kids who say they’ve “ever” tried prescription drugs for recreational purposes ranging from 15-25 percent over the past few years. (Saratoga Springs’ most recent student survey results will be released Tuesday night, May 14)

It only takes one wrong drug combination to have lethal results: think on the celebrity level of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Anna Nicole Smith, or Heath Ledger. Medication abuse is real, and it doesn’t only affect teens. It’s an issue for adults as well.

Both nationally and locally, we’ve begun to take action. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began hosting nationwide prescription drug take-back days in 2010. Locally, these events take place twice a year in Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park and Mechanicville. At the most recent drug drop day on Saturday, April 27, these three sites joined thousands of others around the county to dispose of 371 tons of unused, unwanted, or expired medications. According to the DEA website, that’s double the amount of drugs collected at the September 2012 drug drop.
We are very grateful to our friends in law enforcement for these efforts, and also for making it possible to drop drugs easily and anonymously year-round at the Waterford Police Department (for Waterford residents only) or at the State Troopers barracks in Latham, which both have drop-boxes available 24/7 for this purpose. For specific details, go to www.dec.ny. gov/chemical/63826.html#Upper.

Our goal is not to disparage prescription medications across the board. For people with chronic pain or anxiety, they are indispensable. But once available, these drugs are prone to misuse.

We need to work within our individual families and communities to combat the problem. We need to educate our children about the dangers of prescription medications, and our school and medical personnel about how to recognize the signs of abuse. And we need to do our part to keep prescription drugs out of the wrong hands by locking them up and getting rid of them when they’ve served their intended purpose.

Tomorrow’s topic will be the teenage brain. For more information, go to www.preventioncouncil. org.

Heather Kisselback
Executive Director
The Prevention Council

Reader’s View Strong words to prevent underage drinking

Reader’s View
The Saratogian
Published: Sunday, May 12, 2013

Editor’s note: Over the next five days, The Saratogian will collaborate with the Prevention Council as part of National Prevention Week. This week-long observance is an opportunity to raise awareness about substance abuse and mental health issues, to promote prevention efforts, and to educate our local communities about the factors that influence substance use. Prevention Week celebrates the idea that everyone has a role to play in prevention. And in order to be most effective, prevention should be woven into all aspects of young peoples’ lives.

Over the next five days, we will cover the topics of underage drinking, prescription drug use, the teenage brain, hosting underage parties, suicide prevention, and the relevance of mental, emotional, and behavioral health to substance use and abuse.

Do you think underage drinking is a teenage rite of passage? Prevention Council staff hear the following arguments all the time: If teens can vote or serve in the military at 18, why can’t they drink, too? Or, in Europe, kids are allowed to have wine with dinner and it’s not a problem.

We also hear from well-meaning parents who worry that treating alcohol as a forbidden fruit makes it that much more enticing. By forbidding it, parents worry their teens won’t be prepared for social drinking when they leave home after graduation. If we host a party ourselves, the thinking goes, at least we’ll know where our kids are.

Here’s the thing: Over and over, in school districts throughout Saratoga County, student and parent survey results show that the stronger the parental message against underage drinking, the less drinking takes place. International research bears this out, too: Kids who believe their parents would strongly disapprove of their using substances are less likely to use them.

In the middle school grades, our tweens get this message loud and clear. Parents are dead set against alcohol experimentation, and kids know it.

But in high school, when parents start having angst about whether to say “no” altogether or attempt to teach responsible drinking habits, teens detect this waffling. And the absence of strong condemnation is treated as blanket approval.

Here’s what we know from Prevention Council survey data collected in 2010:

• 50 percent of Saratoga County 11-12th graders drink alcohol regularly, exceeding the NYS rate of 44 percent.

• 33 percent of Saratoga County 11-12th graders are binge drinking, exceeding the NYS rate of 28 percent. (Binge drinking is 4 to 5 or more drinks at one social setting.)

• Parents vastly underestimate their teens’ drinking habits.

We also know that teens who use alcohol are much more likely to experience sexual assaults and fights, accidents, alcohol poisoning, and lower school performance. Youth who drink before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol addiction than those who start drinking at 21, according to the National Institutes of Health.

And in answer to those questions about voting and the military? Recent research has shown that the adolescent brain doesn’t finish developing until age 25. We now know that underage drinking damages important brain functions. Just because an 18-year-old has the skills and judgment to vote or perform military service doesn’t mean he’s mature on all fronts.

And what about those European teens who drink wine with dinner?

Research has shown that they are much more likely to binge drink when they’re out with their friends. On the whole, teen binge drinking rates in Europe far exceed our binge drinking rates in the US.

This is a perfect example of how condoning even moderate alcohol use is a very slippery slope. Teens interpret that leeway very loosely. Even if you take away everyone’s keys at an underage drinking party in your home, the message you send by allowing underage drinking at all puts your child at risk for serious heavy drinking — later, elsewhere, in places where you won’t be there to supervise.

Right now is the perfect time to send a strong message against underage drinking. It’s spring and there’s celebration in the air. Proms, graduations, sports banquets, and barbecues are blocked out on our busy calendars. Believe it or not, parents, you are still the most powerful influence in your child’s life — greater than peers, popular music, television, celebrities and the media. Youth who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are half as likely to use drugs and alcohol than those who do not. So no waffling. Wield your influence wisely. Tomorrow’s topic will be prescription drugs.

For more information, go to www.preventioncouncil. org.

Heather Kisselback
Executive Director
The Prevention Council