April 23, 2012 – National Study: Teen Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs Up 33 Percent Since 2008, Stimulants Contributing to Sustained Rx Epidemic

New, nationally projectable survey results released today by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation confirmed that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription (Rx) drug at least once in their lifetime – a 33 percent increase over the past five years. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) also found troubling data on teen misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants. One in eight teens (13 percent) now reports that they have taken the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall when it was not prescribed for them, at least once in their lifetime.

Contributing to this sustained trend in teen medicine abuse are the lax attitudes and beliefs of parents and caregivers. In fact, nearly one-third of parents say they believe Rx stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall, normally prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can improve a teen’s academic performance even if the teen does not have ADHD. Parents are not effectively communicating the dangers of Rx medicine misuse and abuse to their kids, nor are they safeguarding their medications at home and disposing of unused medications properly. (Read the full report here)

 

BHS Peer Leader Receives Youth Leadership Award
March 20, 2013 — The 84 Movement recognized Brookline High School Senior Kervin Hilaire for his outstanding leadership in youth tobacco prevention. Kervin was the sole winner of the Metrowest Regional Youth Leadership Award. He was recognized during the tobacco prevention event, Kick Butts Day 2013, at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, March 20th. He and fellow Brookline Peer Leaders had the opportunity to meet with legislators to raise awareness about tobacco use among Brookline youth. Kervin is a leader of BHS student committee advocating for extending the non-smoking zone around the school.

B-PEN FORUM ON TEEN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION

APRIL 2, 7-8:30 p.m.  BHS Auditorium

March 13, 2013 — On April 2 at 7 p.m., B-PEN is hosting a special evening forum for parents on “Adolescent Anxiety and Depression – What Every Parent Needs to Know.” This depression awareness event will include a presentation by Children’s Hospital “Break Free From Depression” program that includes a powerful and illuminating film featuring real adolescents talking about depression in their own words. The event also will include information on how to recognize depression symptoms, understand the contributing factors, and develop healthy coping skills. A Q&A features a panel of mental health experts, Brookline Mental Health Center and BHS staff, as well as a teen from the film and her mother sharing their stories. For more information and to register for the event, go to www.teenstress.eventbrite.com 

Peer Leaders host Taylor’s Message and A Promise to Adam

March 5, 2013–BHS 1200 Day is a day on which students are encouraged to commit to joining the 1200 of their BHS peers who choose not to drink or use drugs but find other ways to have fun and relax.   Invited guests included Taylor’s Message and A Promise to Adam.   Both programs encouraged students to make better choices and decisions.  Kathi Sullivan told freshman and sophomore students about a series of poor choices that lead to her daughter Taylor’s death in 2008.  Howard London and Barbara Spivak, whose son Adam died in a car accident in 2010, spoke to students about the dangers of distracted and buzzed driving.  Peer Leaders hosted activities in the cafeteria including trivia contests and special activities, such as game playing wearing Drunk Driving Goggles.

Jennifer A. Lynch Committee Against Domestic Violence

2013 Domestic Violence Essay Contest

February 13, 2013

The Jennifer A. Lynch Committee Against Domestic Violence is seeking submissions for its 2013 Domestic Violence Essay Contest. The contest is open to:

1. Brookline High School Students 9th through 12th grades
2. High school students of town employees who attend high school outside of Brookline
3. High school students who are residents of Brookline but attend high school elsewhere.

Only one submission per person will be allowed. Submissions may be sent electronically (PDF) or by mail. Please note that submissions will not be returned and will become the property of the Jennifer A. Lynch Committee Against Domestic Violence.

The topic of the essay is Domestic Violence.  Some ideas for topics are:

• Dating violence among teens
• Societal Influences on the persistence of Domestic Violence
• What can be done to decrease Domestic Violence?
• What would you say to a perpetrator of Domestic Violence?
• Describe what you think are healthy and unhealthy relationships?

Do not write about personal experiences in the first person. Individuals in actual situations should not be identifiable.

Essay Specifications

Contest submissions must be no longer than 1,000 words. They must be double spaced, font type Times New Roman and a font size of 12 pts. Submissions not meeting the expressed specifications will not be eligible for the contest. All submissions must be received by March 29, 2013. Please include your full name, street and email address, and telephone number with your submission.

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded to the three essays that best express a compelling story or position, which show awareness of Domestic Violence issues and processes and which offer a unique perspective on the topic. Prizes will be distributed as follows:

• 1st Prize – $2,500
• 2nd Prize – $1,000
• 3rd Prize – $500

Contest winners will be posted on the Jennifer A. Lynch website by XXX. Awards will be presented at the Jennifer A. Lynch Committee Against Domestic Violence Annual Vigil in October 2013. Award winners will be requested to read their essays at the event.Submissions can be sent via email to jalynchfund@aol.com or by mail to:

Jennifer A. Lynch Committee Against Domestic Violence
PO Box 470795
Brookline, MA 02447

http:www.jenniferlynch.org

Founded in 2006 the Jennifer A. Lynch Committee Against Domestic Violence supports activities that promote awareness of domestic violence, links victims to appropriate services, and aids in the creation of prevention programs.

Concerns About A.D.H.D. Practices and Prescription

February 2, 2013 — Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions Every morning on her way to work, Kathy Fee holds her breath as she drives past the squat brick building that houses Dominion Psychiatric Associates.  It was there that her son, Richard, visited a doctor and received prescriptions for Adderall, an amphetamine-based medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It was in the parking lot that she insisted to Richard that he did not have A.D.H.D., not as a child and not now as a 24-year-old college graduate, and that he was getting dangerously addicted to the medication. It was inside the building that her husband, Rick, implored Richard’s doctor to stop prescribing him Adderall, warning, “You’re going to kill him.”

8th grade SADD pizza events coming up

January 27, 2013 — 8th grade SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is a program designed to promote a safer, healthy community for Brookline youth. These monthly meetings during the academic year feature informative discussions, led by Peer Leaders on relevant social, emotional and health issues facing teens today. PIZZA at every meeting! 

When?    6.30 PM, February 6, March 6, April 10, May 8
Where?  Room 385A Brookline High School

Questions? Hope Schroy at 617-713-5149 or Hope_schroy@brookline.k12.ma.us.

Binge drinkers may be re-categorized as alcoholics

January 27, 2013 — “Are you an alcoholic— or just a problem drinker? It may not matter, according to the latest version of the DSM, psychiatry’s diagnostic manual,” writes Maia Szalavitz at Time magazine, examining possible consequences for teens and young adults of revisions to the medical definition of alcoholism. “And now, in a new study of the different levels of alcohol misuse, scientists say the changes made to the DSM-5 may not even represent a significant improvement in the diagnosis of alcoholism. In fact, the revised definition collapses the medical distinction between problem drinking and alcoholism, potentially leading college binge drinkers to be mislabeled as possible lifelong alcoholics.  The changes take effect in May, when the DSM-5 will be released.” Experts warn that the new policy of lumping beginning drinkers with end stage alcoholics “was driven by researchers who are not sensitive to how the label would play out in young people’s lives.”

TV tactics for troubled teens raise the risk

January 27, 2013 — “Terrifying teens by making them lie in coffins, forcing them to spend a night on a frigid street or a bare prison cell— these harsh measures are used in reality shows in an attempt to put delinquents back on the straight and narrow.  But the strategies may make for better TV than treatment.” Maia Szalavitz, at Time magazine, examines TV show scare tactics, pointing to studies that show that teens subjected to these harsh regimes are far more likely to commit crimes than are those who receive no intervention at all.

Brookline youth selected to receive grant to fight big tobacco

December 14, 2012 – The Brookline High School Peer Leaders have been awarded a $2,000 grant from The 84 Movement to work on an initiative to educate the community about the dangers of tobacco and reduce the influence of Big Tobacco in their neighborhoods.

Brookline High School Peer Leaders are part of The 84 Movement which helps mobilize youth to take action to protect their communities from the influence of the tobacco industry. The grant is one of fourteen awarded to youth groups from across the Commonwealth who are committed to fighting Big Tobacco in their neighborhoods and schools.

“Smoking is the number one preventable cause of disease and death in Massachusetts and in the world today, and we want our young people to realize that they have the power and the creativity to help prevent a new generation of people from becoming addicted to tobacco,” said Mary Minott, Coordinator at the Brookline Health Department/Brookline High School.

The 84 Movement is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program and is managed by Health Resources in Action.

For more information on the work being done to combat Big Tobacco around the State visit www.makesmokinghistory.org and www.The84.org.