Coming from Medill and Northwestern University, our teens have one more thing that they have to live with as they grow older.
In 1981 a new danger was identified the United States. It was recognized that HIV had reached our shores. When this horrible disease was identified,
the treatment methods were unidentified. The disease quickly and painfully took its victims. The good news is now, almost 30 years later, treatments are effective and the diagnosis is not an immediate death sentence. Patients live many years after contracting HIV/AIDS.
The bad news? Our teens who personify risky behavior believes that HIV will not happen to them. According to Medill Reports, adolescents and young adults reportedly have the highest rates of new cases. The availability of better treatment "may be increasing the risks by lulling the fear."
"Cases of AIDS increased nationwide among teens by 16 percent from 2006 to 2007, the most recent year for which statistics are available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cases increased by more than 20 percent for young adults ages 20 to 24 in the same time period, the fastest paced increase among Americans, CDC figures show." (see above link)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Parents: Please remember during this season, it not your job to be your child's friend
Parents, It is time for you to draw the line. Actually you should have drawn it ages ago. Yes, you want your kid to love you. You don't want to seem old to your kid. But you took on the role of parent. Not friend. That is the job of your kid's friend who happens to be the same age. Please read below and know the facts. You cannot only hurt your precious kid but yourself... your life and your retirement. By the way, that would really hurt your kid.
I am not a judgmental soul. But seriously, a hotel room for after prom? Why do you give condoms as party favors? Seriously. What are you doing? Think about it.
Here are the facts:
There are many health-related consequences of youth consuming alcohol including negative effects on brain development, deviant behavior including stealing and skipping school and a greater risk of becoming alcohol-dependant later in life.
Parents who give alcohol to their teen’s friends under any circumstances, even in their own homes, are breaking the law.
Parents who knowingly allow a person under 21 to remain in their home or on their property while consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages can be prosecuted and everything associated with such a violation can be confiscated, including personal property.
Parents can be sued if they give alcohol to anyone under 21 and they in turn hurt someone, hurt themselves or damage property.
Underage use of alcohol is a serious problem that too often leads to harmful consequences for youth and their families. Parents can protect themselves and their teens by following these guidelines when hosting parties for their children:
Host safe, alcohol-free activities and events for youth during prom and graduation season.
Refuse to supply alcohol to children or allow drinking in your home or on your property
Be at home when your teenager has a party
Make sure your teenager’s friends do not bring alcohol into your home
Talk to other parents about not providing alcohol at youth events
Report underage drinking
Our youth deserve to live and grow to adulthood in an environment where alcohol is not misused. Let’s be unified in our message, and host alcohol-free parties with plenty of fun activities to show our youth that we care about their future.
I am not a judgmental soul. But seriously, a hotel room for after prom? Why do you give condoms as party favors? Seriously. What are you doing? Think about it.
Here are the facts:
There are many health-related consequences of youth consuming alcohol including negative effects on brain development, deviant behavior including stealing and skipping school and a greater risk of becoming alcohol-dependant later in life.
Parents who give alcohol to their teen’s friends under any circumstances, even in their own homes, are breaking the law.
Parents who knowingly allow a person under 21 to remain in their home or on their property while consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages can be prosecuted and everything associated with such a violation can be confiscated, including personal property.
Parents can be sued if they give alcohol to anyone under 21 and they in turn hurt someone, hurt themselves or damage property.
Underage use of alcohol is a serious problem that too often leads to harmful consequences for youth and their families. Parents can protect themselves and their teens by following these guidelines when hosting parties for their children:
Host safe, alcohol-free activities and events for youth during prom and graduation season.
Refuse to supply alcohol to children or allow drinking in your home or on your property
Be at home when your teenager has a party
Make sure your teenager’s friends do not bring alcohol into your home
Talk to other parents about not providing alcohol at youth events
Report underage drinking
Our youth deserve to live and grow to adulthood in an environment where alcohol is not misused. Let’s be unified in our message, and host alcohol-free parties with plenty of fun activities to show our youth that we care about their future.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
A new anti drug commercial on CNN
A really good commercial which connects you to a really good website has started on CNN.com.
You may not be able to see the commercial whenever you want to but you can access the
website whenever you need to. It really breaks down what you can do to stop your teen if you suspect him or her
in taking perscription drugs.
You may not be able to see the commercial whenever you want to but you can access the
website whenever you need to. It really breaks down what you can do to stop your teen if you suspect him or her
in taking perscription drugs.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Heroin Addiction Started with the use of Prescription Drugs
I have been studying and trying to talk to parents and teachers about prescription drugs now for 7 years. But today's
Dispatch really got to me. We have here in the Columbus area a perfectly beautiful suburban family. Two parents, together, no blended family situation to blame. No urban situation to click our tongues over. To quote: "Ciara is the country's new face of heroin: a young, white, suburbanite whose addiction began at 15 (yes, that is 15) with PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS her boyfriend stole from his father's medicine cabinet." Couldn't write it better myself.
Officials at Maryhaven(the largest addiction treatment center here in Central Ohio) have seen a steady increase in opiate use by adolescents in the last eighteen months. The number of people seeking help from publicly funded treatment centers for opiate addiction has increased by 300% in the last decade. Here is a real stopper: "...officials at both publicly and privately funded facilities agree that young, well-educated white suburban residents are driving the increase, according to the Ohio Dept. of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. 'The bottom line is, if you think your community is immune, think again,' said department spokesman Eric Wandersleben."
To see more about Ciara and her family, Facts about Heroin, and how to get help, see Sunday May 3 Dispatch.
Dispatch really got to me. We have here in the Columbus area a perfectly beautiful suburban family. Two parents, together, no blended family situation to blame. No urban situation to click our tongues over. To quote: "Ciara is the country's new face of heroin: a young, white, suburbanite whose addiction began at 15 (yes, that is 15) with PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS her boyfriend stole from his father's medicine cabinet." Couldn't write it better myself.
Officials at Maryhaven(the largest addiction treatment center here in Central Ohio) have seen a steady increase in opiate use by adolescents in the last eighteen months. The number of people seeking help from publicly funded treatment centers for opiate addiction has increased by 300% in the last decade. Here is a real stopper: "...officials at both publicly and privately funded facilities agree that young, well-educated white suburban residents are driving the increase, according to the Ohio Dept. of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. 'The bottom line is, if you think your community is immune, think again,' said department spokesman Eric Wandersleben."
To see more about Ciara and her family, Facts about Heroin, and how to get help, see Sunday May 3 Dispatch.
Drug Education Works
Hey out there,
For all you who have to make decisions about if you are going to vote for a levy or not:
Here is yet another reason to do so. We are so busy right now worrying about the Swine Flu (yes, I know it is called something else now) and the economy let me give you something positive to think about. The Drug Education Programs are having long-term effects. Can you believe it? We actually have good news about the educational system in our nation. Alert the media folks!
If you have a sterling child that has never tried anything because you said not to, you have a child with no social life, or a well educated child who listens.
"According to a recent report in Science Daily, a school-based drug education program for teens - Project ALERT - can have a long-term positive impact on sexual behavior. This benefit is in addition to the program’s ability to curb substance abuse."
See the original article for more details.
For all you who have to make decisions about if you are going to vote for a levy or not:
Here is yet another reason to do so. We are so busy right now worrying about the Swine Flu (yes, I know it is called something else now) and the economy let me give you something positive to think about. The Drug Education Programs are having long-term effects. Can you believe it? We actually have good news about the educational system in our nation. Alert the media folks!
If you have a sterling child that has never tried anything because you said not to, you have a child with no social life, or a well educated child who listens.
"According to a recent report in Science Daily, a school-based drug education program for teens - Project ALERT - can have a long-term positive impact on sexual behavior. This benefit is in addition to the program’s ability to curb substance abuse."
See the original article for more details.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
DEA Law:Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 went into effect Monday, April 13
Hurrah!
Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 went into effect Monday, April 13
Thanks to Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D, CA
* Sen. Joseph Biden [D, DE]
* Norm Coleman
* Sen. John Cornyn [R, TX]
* Sen. Patrick Leahy [D, VT]
* Sen. Jefferson Sessions [R, AL]
This bill amends the Controlled Substance Act to stop the delivery,distribution, or dispensing of controlled substances over the Internet without a valid prescription.
A valid prescription is defined as "as a prescription that is issued for a legitimate purpose by a practitioner who has conducted at least one in-person medical evaluation of the patient."
Directly from the law itself; it reads:
Imposes registration and reporting requirements on online pharmacies.
Requires an online pharmacy to:
(1) display on its Internet homepage a statement that it complies with the requirements of this Act;
(2) comply with state laws for the licensure of pharmacies in each state in which it operates or sells controlled substances;
(3) post on its Internet homepage specified information, including the name, address, and telephone number of the pharmacy, the qualifications of its pharmacist-in-charge, and a certification of its registration under this Act; and
(4) notify the Attorney General and applicable state boards of pharmacy at least 30 days prior to offering to sell, deliver, distribute, or dispense controlled substances over the Internet.
The bill is named after Ryan Haight who was 18 years old when he died after overdosing on a prescription painkiller. He bought the drug on the Internet from a medical doctor that he had never met.
Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 went into effect Monday, April 13
Thanks to Sen. Dianne Feinstein [D, CA
* Sen. Joseph Biden [D, DE]
* Norm Coleman
* Sen. John Cornyn [R, TX]
* Sen. Patrick Leahy [D, VT]
* Sen. Jefferson Sessions [R, AL]
This bill amends the Controlled Substance Act to stop the delivery,distribution, or dispensing of controlled substances over the Internet without a valid prescription.
A valid prescription is defined as "as a prescription that is issued for a legitimate purpose by a practitioner who has conducted at least one in-person medical evaluation of the patient."
Directly from the law itself; it reads:
Imposes registration and reporting requirements on online pharmacies.
Requires an online pharmacy to:
(1) display on its Internet homepage a statement that it complies with the requirements of this Act;
(2) comply with state laws for the licensure of pharmacies in each state in which it operates or sells controlled substances;
(3) post on its Internet homepage specified information, including the name, address, and telephone number of the pharmacy, the qualifications of its pharmacist-in-charge, and a certification of its registration under this Act; and
(4) notify the Attorney General and applicable state boards of pharmacy at least 30 days prior to offering to sell, deliver, distribute, or dispense controlled substances over the Internet.
The bill is named after Ryan Haight who was 18 years old when he died after overdosing on a prescription painkiller. He bought the drug on the Internet from a medical doctor that he had never met.
Monday, April 6, 2009
The correlation of young people on psychiatric drugs and school shooting
With the ten years anniversary of Columbine coming up I was curious how many of these incidences had occurred since that time. I have read arguments that this happens much more frequently if we also add in the urban statistics but these are the ones that I found.
According to an article in clickpress.com this is the present tally.
Last November, Pekka-Eric Auvinen joined the growing list of school shooters under the influence of psychiatric drugs documented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to cause suicidal behavior and homicidal thoughts. In other instances, the shooter’s medical records were never made public, so their psychiatric drug use remains in question.
School shootings committed by individuals under the influence of psychiatric drugs include:
Omaha, Nebraska - December 5, 2007: 19-year-old Robert Hawkins killed eight people and wounded five before committing suicide in an Omaha mall. Hawkins' friend told CNN that the gunman was on antidepressants, and autopsy results confirmed he was under the influence of the "anti-anxiety" drug Valium.
Cleveland, Ohio - October 10, 2007: 14-year-old Asa Coon stormed through his school with a gun in each hand, shooting and wounding four before taking his own life. court records show Coon had been placed on the antidepressant Trazadone.
Blacksburg, Virginia - April 16, 2007: The psychiatric drug history of Seung-Hui Cho in the Virginia Tech Massacre was never made public. Initial reports stated that "depression medication" was found among Cho's belongings. But neither his toxicology reports, nor his recent medical history were ever released to find out whether Cho had been in withdrawal from psychiatric medication. (33 were killed and 29 injured, but this was not included in the total of dead and wounded cited above.)
Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota - March 21, 2005: 16-year-old Native American Jeff Weise, reportedly under the influence of the antidepressant Prozac, went on a shooting rampage at home and at his school, killing nine people and wounding five before committing suicide.
Greenbush, New York - February 2004: 16-year-old Jon Romano strolled into his high school in east Greenbush and opened fire with a shotgun. Special education teacher Michael Bennett was hit in the leg. Romano had been taking "medication for depression."
El Cajon, California - March 22, 2001: 18-year-old Jason Hoffman was on two antidepressants, Effexor and Celexa, when he opened fire at his California high school wounding five. Hoffman had also undergone an “anger management” program.
Williamsport, Pennsylvania - March 7, 2000: 14-year-old Elizabeth Bush was on the antidepressant Prozac when she blasted away at fellow students in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, wounding one.
Conyers, Georgia - May 20, 1999: 15-year-old T.J. Solomon was being treated with a mix of antidepressants when he opened fire on and wounded 6 of his classmates.
Columbine, Colorado - April 20, 1999: 18-year-old Eric Harris was on the antidepressant Luvox when he and his partner Dylan Klebold killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded 23 others before taking their own lives in the bloodiest school massacre in history. The coroner confirmed that the antidepressant was in his system through toxicology reports while Dylan Klebold’s autopsy was never made public. Harris and Klebold underwent "anger management" and "death education" classes.
Notus, Idaho - April 16, 1999: 15-year-old Shawn Cooper fired two shotgun rounds in his school narrowly missing students; he was taking a mix of antidepressants.
Springfield, Oregon - May 21, 1998: 15-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his own parents and then proceeded to school where he opened fire on students in the cafeteria, killing two and wounding 22. Kinkel had been on Prozac. Kinkel also underwent "anger management" classes.
As the article stated, these are all the incidences that named the psychiatric drugs; some due to privacy issues probably were left unmentioned as in the case of Klebold from Columbine.
We all know the stresses that students are under. We all know the stresses we are all under in this world we are living in today. I am not sure how we can help ourselves leastwise these kids. By the way, it is not only the United States, Germany's latest shooting reminds us this is a global problem.
According to an article in clickpress.com this is the present tally.
Last November, Pekka-Eric Auvinen joined the growing list of school shooters under the influence of psychiatric drugs documented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to cause suicidal behavior and homicidal thoughts. In other instances, the shooter’s medical records were never made public, so their psychiatric drug use remains in question.
School shootings committed by individuals under the influence of psychiatric drugs include:
Omaha, Nebraska - December 5, 2007: 19-year-old Robert Hawkins killed eight people and wounded five before committing suicide in an Omaha mall. Hawkins' friend told CNN that the gunman was on antidepressants, and autopsy results confirmed he was under the influence of the "anti-anxiety" drug Valium.
Cleveland, Ohio - October 10, 2007: 14-year-old Asa Coon stormed through his school with a gun in each hand, shooting and wounding four before taking his own life. court records show Coon had been placed on the antidepressant Trazadone.
Blacksburg, Virginia - April 16, 2007: The psychiatric drug history of Seung-Hui Cho in the Virginia Tech Massacre was never made public. Initial reports stated that "depression medication" was found among Cho's belongings. But neither his toxicology reports, nor his recent medical history were ever released to find out whether Cho had been in withdrawal from psychiatric medication. (33 were killed and 29 injured, but this was not included in the total of dead and wounded cited above.)
Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota - March 21, 2005: 16-year-old Native American Jeff Weise, reportedly under the influence of the antidepressant Prozac, went on a shooting rampage at home and at his school, killing nine people and wounding five before committing suicide.
Greenbush, New York - February 2004: 16-year-old Jon Romano strolled into his high school in east Greenbush and opened fire with a shotgun. Special education teacher Michael Bennett was hit in the leg. Romano had been taking "medication for depression."
El Cajon, California - March 22, 2001: 18-year-old Jason Hoffman was on two antidepressants, Effexor and Celexa, when he opened fire at his California high school wounding five. Hoffman had also undergone an “anger management” program.
Williamsport, Pennsylvania - March 7, 2000: 14-year-old Elizabeth Bush was on the antidepressant Prozac when she blasted away at fellow students in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, wounding one.
Conyers, Georgia - May 20, 1999: 15-year-old T.J. Solomon was being treated with a mix of antidepressants when he opened fire on and wounded 6 of his classmates.
Columbine, Colorado - April 20, 1999: 18-year-old Eric Harris was on the antidepressant Luvox when he and his partner Dylan Klebold killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded 23 others before taking their own lives in the bloodiest school massacre in history. The coroner confirmed that the antidepressant was in his system through toxicology reports while Dylan Klebold’s autopsy was never made public. Harris and Klebold underwent "anger management" and "death education" classes.
Notus, Idaho - April 16, 1999: 15-year-old Shawn Cooper fired two shotgun rounds in his school narrowly missing students; he was taking a mix of antidepressants.
Springfield, Oregon - May 21, 1998: 15-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his own parents and then proceeded to school where he opened fire on students in the cafeteria, killing two and wounding 22. Kinkel had been on Prozac. Kinkel also underwent "anger management" classes.
As the article stated, these are all the incidences that named the psychiatric drugs; some due to privacy issues probably were left unmentioned as in the case of Klebold from Columbine.
We all know the stresses that students are under. We all know the stresses we are all under in this world we are living in today. I am not sure how we can help ourselves leastwise these kids. By the way, it is not only the United States, Germany's latest shooting reminds us this is a global problem.
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