Kevin Leehey M.D. Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatry Board Certified

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Kevin Leehey M.D.Child, Adolescent, and Adult
PsychiatryBoard Certified

• 296-4280
• leeheymd.com

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Salpointe Catholic High School Community of
Concern

• Whats Brain Got To Do With It ?
• leeheymd.com

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Nature vs. Nurture

• Nature means biology, inheritance, genetics.
• Nurture means environment, experiences.
• Color perception is almost purely genetic.
• Ability to learn language is genetic. But what
  language we learn is purely environmental.
• Neither controls how we turn out in life. Its
  both, the interaction of nature and nurture.

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Brain Development

• If a child is not played with, interacted with,
  nurtured, exposed to stimuli, or is rarely
  touched he/she will develop a 25 smaller brain.
• Experiences shape and reshape the structure of
  the brain.

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• By the time a child is 6, his or her brain is 90
  to 95 of adult size.
• Between age 6 and 12 neurons grow bushier by each
  neuron adding dozens of connections based on what
  is reinforced by learning and experience.
• This is why such things as learning a second
  language, riding a bike, swimming, learning to
  play a piano, or to throw a ball are easier when
  young and can last a lifetime.

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• Neuron connections peak at 11 in girls and 12 to
  13 in boys.
• Unused connections are further pruned out in the
  teen years at the same time the white matter
  protective coating around neurons called Myelin
  Sheath cells increase.
• The brain is becoming more efficient but also
  losing its raw potential for learning and ability
  to recover from trauma, drugs, alcohol, or
  injury.

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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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• The part of the brain that makes teens
  responsible is still under construction.
• Brain development proceeds from back to front
  and bottom to top.
• The Frontal Lobe, which controls impulses,
  motivation, and judgement is the last to develop.
• Teens inconsistent Melatonin production
  contributes to irregular sleep patterns.

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A Neural Signature for DyslexiaUnderactivation
of Neural Systems in the Back of the Brain
Source Shaywitz Overcoming Dyslexia
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The teen brain is more vulnerable to the
stimulating, damaging, and addicting effects of
nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs.

• One in three teens who start smoking as a teen
  will die of a tobacco related disease.
• 90 of adult smokers began as teens.
• Almost 45 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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Bad things can happen to Good kids

• Typically 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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Causes of death ages 15-24

• Accidents -primarily motor vehicle, many are
  substance impaired.
• Suicide
• Homicide
• These 3 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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2010 Update

• Teen use of methamphetamine, alcohol, ecstasy,
  cocaine, cigarettes are slightly down
• Teen cigarette use is dropping below 25 toward
  adult rate of 20 365 colleges banned cigs
  totally
• Abuse of prescription meds NOT decreasing
• Teens 1 alcohol, 2 marijuana, 3 cigarettes,
  pills opiates, benzos, DXM, Soma, stimulants
• College alcohol, weed, cigs, Adderall,
  pills
• Disapproval of marijuana is decreasing sign of
  use going up. Medical marijuana and
  decriminalization
• Teen suicide rates have climbed since 2004 after
  15 years of decreases

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Drugs now kill more people than cars do in 16
states.

• Safer cars more opiates abuse
• Drug related death rate doubled in 10 years.
• 8 states 2004 12 in 05 16 in 06 ? 09
• Opiates (Vicodin, Oxycontin, oxy and hydrocodone,
  methadone, heroin), Cocaine
• MA, NH, RI, CT, NY, NJ, MD, PA, OH, MI, IL, CO,
  NV,OR, UT, WA

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Actual Causes of Preventable Deaths
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Opiates and more

• Vicodin, Percodan, Percocet, methadone, oxycontin
• Oxycontin 50 cents to 1/ mg
• HEROIN - smoked, foil, 40/gram, IV
• Benzos Xanax bars, Klonopin, Ativan, Valium
• Sleeping pills - Ambien
• Triple Cs, DXM, Robitussin,
  dextromethorphan
• Salvia, K-2, Head and Smoke shops fake urine
  
• ADHD medicine abuse, stimulants like Adderall
• Meth, Crystal, methamphetamine
• Soma, muscle relaxers
• Ecstasy, club drugs, hallucinogens, PCP,
  Inhalants
• Hookah, Shisha do contain nicotine
• energy drinks caffeine, guarana, taurine, and
  more

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• Tobacco kills more than all drugs and alcohol
  together.
• Youth drink to get drunk - binge on as much as
  possible as fast as possible. Drinking games.
• 60 HS seniors have had intercourse.
• gt50 HS seniors drink regularly.
• 25 HS seniors smoke cigarettes.
• 33 HS seniors use other drugs
• 60 teens will try other drugs by end of HS

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Tips for Parents

• Dont leave town and leave your teen home alone.
  Dont rent hotel rooms, etc for kids.
• Cell phones make flash parties possible.
• Dont trust sleepovers and campouts.
• 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.
• Seat belts, air bags, slower speeds, less
  passengers, home before midnight, and safer cars
  save lives.

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Tips for Parents II

• Teens main source for alcohol and prescription
  medicines to abuse is your and their friends
  homes.
• 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.
• If you want your kids to come out of their rooms
  keep the electronics out.
• Internet and gaming are best monitored out of
  their bedrooms.

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Tips for Parents III

• Social networking (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter,
  YouTube, etc) is here to stay. Check, know
  passwords, teach whats OK, not OK, why.
• High school now require internet, word
  processing. College requires even more. Ensure
  they learn now with supervision.
• Offer a phone, computer, gaming with features
  that fit the age and developmental level of your
  child or teen. Increase with age and trust. Agree
  on a plan of you checking for appropriate use.
• You can control calling, texting, internet use,
  hours, phone numbers allowed and banned all of
  it. All cell companies have these controls use
  them.

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Tips for Parents IV

• YOU are your childrens 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 !
• Read the C of C booklet - its very useful !

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Thank you and good luck

• Kevin Leehey M.D.
• leeheymd.com
• 296-4280