Salpointe Catholic High School Community of Concern

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Salpointe Catholic High School Community of
Concern

• Whats Brain Got To Do With It ?
• Kevin Leehey M.D.Child, Adolescent, and Adult
  PsychiatryBoard Certified
• leeheymd.com
• 296-4280

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2014 Trends

• Teen birth rate lowest in 70 years
• HS grad rates are up
• MVA deaths lowest in 60 years. Teens down 65
  since 1975
• Teen use of methamphetamine, alcohol, ecstasy,
  cocaine, cigarettes are slightly down
• Youth suicide rate is down again
• Rate of violent crime decreased again
• Prescription medicine abuse and Marijuana abuse
  continue to rise
• Youth 1 alcohol, 2 marijuana, 3 tobacco, 4
  pills Adderall (stimulants), opiates, benzos,
  Ambien, DXM, Soma
• Spice, K-2 cannabanoids, bath salts, synthetic
  Research Chemicals (legal) hallucinogens
• E-cigs, e-hookahs, hookah pens, vape pipes,
  vaping
• Drugs kill more than cars do now
• Legal drugs are as dangerous as illegal drugs
• Youth drink to get buzzed, drunk binge 5 for
  M, 4 for F in 2 hrs
• A negative drug screen does not mean theyre not
  using

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The left side of the brain is shown.
Source Shaywitz Overcoming Dyslexia
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• The Teen brain is wired for seeking sensation,
  novelty, new experience, excitement, thrills, and
  risk.
• Although this includes impulsivity, sensation and
  thrills are often carefully planned.
• Teens take more risk not because they dont
  understand the dangers but because they weigh
  risk vs. reward differently if risk can get
  them the reward they want, they value reward more
  heavily than adults do.
• And especially in the company of peers. (peer
  pressure)
• They dont think it will happen to them.
• Overall this has evolutionary advantages for the
  greater population but injury or death for at
  least some individuals.
• Peak risk taking is 12-18, highest around age 17.
• Peak substance use is around age 18.
• The part of the brain that makes teens
  responsible is still under construction.

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The teen brain is more vulnerable to the
stimulating, damaging, and addicting effects of
nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs.

• Tobacco is 1 preventable cause of death in US.
• One in three teens who start smoking as a teen
  will die of a tobacco related disease.
• 90 of adult smokers and substance users began
  as teens.
• Almost half of kids who start drinking alcohol by
  13 will become alcoholic, while only 10 of those
  who wait till 21 will.
• Substance use in youth thus becomes hard wired in
  as a tendency for life. This is in addition to
  any genetic predisposition.

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• Healthy Subject watching video of using

• Substance abuser in remission watching video of
  using

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Thus you must parent.

• You are the most powerful and important
  environmental (nurture) force.
• Remember its the interaction between nature
  (biology) and nurture (environment) that
  determines the outcome.
• Parenting is hands on thru 11-13, hands
  around thru 17-19, hands under thru 18-25,
  then hands off.
• Parenting is the building of character,
  instilling values and self discipline, and
  teaching independent living skills. This develops
  and changes the brains structure.
• Teach self control (stop and think) and
  perseverance (try, try again). These traits best
  predict success and happiness.

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Parenting Tips

• YOU are your childs teens 1 influence !
• If they see you drunk/impaired/partying they are
  33 more likely to drink or use.
• If you say, imply, or even think its OK or
  inevitable that theyll drink or use, then they
  are 10X more likely to do so.
• If you repeatedly (not nag) tell them not to,
  then they are 10X less likely to drink or use.
• Say No, Dont try to be the Cool parents, and
  dont try to be your kids Best Friends !

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Causes of death ages 15-24

• Accidents -primarily motor vehicle, many are
  substance impaired.
• Suicide
• Homicide
• Unintentional Drug Overdoses
• These 4 account for 75 of all deaths in our
  kids. Suicide and homicide are mostly by guns and
  many are substance impaired.

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Firearm Injuries and Deaths

• 30,000 deaths per year (2/3 20k of those are
  suicides) tens of thousands more are seriously
  injured annually.
• Similar number deaths by motor vehicles.
• The presence of a firearm in the home, rather
  than protective, is associated with a 3 times
  greater risk of homicide and 5X suicide risk.
• If you keep any firearm at home, Childproof
  locks, gun safes, storing firearms locked
  unloaded and separate from ammo lowers risk.

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• Teen traffic deaths dropped 62 since 1975.
• AZ- 15 ½, written test for permit gt6 month, 20 hr
  day10 hr night,
• G Graduated DL- unless guardian in front
  passenger seat cant drive MN to 5 AM for 6
  months or have gt1 passenger except sib till 18
• Parental involvement. Eg, Fords MyKey limits
  speed, radio volume, no radio till seat belt.
  Supervised practice/teach/coach.
• Advanced (defensive) driver training courses.
• Safer Cars.

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The more you use marijuana the more likely you
are to use multiple other drugs. Most substance
abusers use many different drugs, not just one or
two.
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Marijuana, pot, grass, weed

• Perceptual distortions
• Short term memory and slower processing
• Apathy, lack of motivation
• The point of substance use is to alter feelings,
  thoughts, perceptions, reality
• Out of touch with own feelings, denial of sad,
  mad, down, concerns re social, family, future
  Self medication of MH and life problems. Delays
  development.
• Relationship problems
• MJ can cause or worsen mental illness
• MJ use in teens may lower Intelligence
• 15 MJ users lt 25yo become dependent same as
  alcohol and cocaine, opiates higher, tobacco 1-
  30
• Yes, there is MJ Withdrawal

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Normal Sleep Architecture
REM is most important. Optimal sleep promotes
attention, memory, creativity, decision making,
judgment, impulse control, memory ST and LT,
social skills, and lessens irritability. It
lessens substance use, promotes healthier weight,
overall and heart health and mental health.
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• Youth drink to get drunk - binge on as much as
  possible as fast as possible. Drinking games.
• gt 60 HS seniors have had intercourse.
• gt 50 HS seniors drink regularly.
• 20 HS seniors smoke cigarettes.
• 25 HS seniors smoke marijauna.
• 33 HS seniors use other drugs including pills.
• gt 60 teens will try other drugs by end of HS.

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Bad things can happen to Good kids

• People dont say, I think Ill get a DUI and
  ruin lots of lives today.
• No one says or thinks, Gee, today Im gonna
  drink, smoke, or use a drug so I can become an
  alcoholic or addict.

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More Useful Information

• drugfree.org Six Componets of Effective
  Parenting and A Parents Guide to the Teen
  Brain
• The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel MD and
  Tina Payne Bryson PhD
• The Social Animal by David Brooks
• Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy  by Michael Bradley Ed.D.
• Parenting With Love and Logic  by  Foster Cline
  M.D. and Jim Fay (Get the Teen version)
• Read the C of C booklet - its very useful !
• Thank you and Good Luck !
• Kevin Leehey MD
• leeheymd.com
• 296-4280

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Teen Driving True or False

• Car crashes kill more teens than, homicide,
  suicide, AIDS, cancer, and all disease together
• The 1 reason teens get into car crashes is
  speeding.
• Teens are less likely to crash at night because
  theres less people on the road.
• Its best for teens to drive the old clunker.
• A teen who knows better will not get into a car
  with a drunk or drugged driver.
• Texting while driving is safer than calling.

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Parenting Teens 101 True or False ?

• Asking my teen about suicide will put the idea in
  their head
• Theres nothing a parent can do about texting and
  calling in school or sleep hours.
• Adult supervised teen drinking results in less
  teen alcohol use problems.
• gt 50 teens go thru adolescence with hardly a
  ripple.
• What I say as a parent matters more than what I
  do.
• Nothing good ever happens after midnight
• Sleepovers and campouts are fine for teens.
• Its not worth upsetting my teen or troubling her
  friends parents to ask if _____ is really
  happening and supervised.
• I can just trust what my teen says about _____ .
• I only have to worry about illegal drugs.
• Teens get drugs from dealers.

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Parenting Teens 101 True or False ?

• My kids dont need a computer or Facebook, etc.
  till at least college.
• Dont be silly, a phone is not a computer.
• I dont need to know how to supervise or check
  their phone, computer, gaming consoles, or
  handhelds.
• If I had a 24 hour phone, iPod, computer, TV, and
  Xbox in my room as a teen Id never come out
  either.
• My teens responsible. We can leave her home when
  we go away and we can rent him a hotel room after
  formal or prom or whenever they want.
• Adults should not hold teens accountable because
  their brains are not fully developed.
• Adults should limit, monitor, and supervise teens
  stepwise as they attain and demonstrate growth in
  their brain and overall developmental abilities.

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Parenting Tips

• Cell phones make flash parties possible.
• Call other parents.
• If youre the host check whats up.
• Have your teen wake you up when they come home.
  Talk to them, get close.
• 2 of us over age 40 smoke marijuana daily.
• Teens know homes where parents allow or give
  alcohol, weed, other drugs, or sex to your
  kids.
• gt 33 of teens sext

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Parenting Tips

• YOU are your childs teens 1 influence !
• If they see you drunk/impaired/partying they are
  33 more likely to drink or use.
• If you say, imply, or even think its OK or
  inevitable that theyll drink or use, then they
  are 10X more likely to do so.
• If you repeatedly (not nag) tell them not to,
  then they are 10X less likely to drink or use.
• Say No, Dont try to be the Cool parents, and
  dont try to be your kids Best Friends !

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• Synapses that are used often are kept and
  reinforced.
• Those that are not used are lost.
• How you spend your time and the experiences you
  have or dont have are critical.

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Actual Causes of Preventable Deaths
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• Most of the increase is due to prescription
  opiate pain meds. This increase parallels
  increased prescriptions. Some is due to cocaine.
  Some is due to heroin.

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Studies show not living in an intact 2 bio
parent home increases a childs past, current,
and future risk for trauma exposure and PTSD.
Single parents often do great, its just a lot
harder with more challenges. Social Mobility (the
American Dream) has been declining in the US.
Studies show that countries and the parts of the
US that invest heavily in all their childrens
health care, nutrition, and education end up with
a much stronger ladder of opportunity.