How to Recognize Substance Abuse In Your Teen Patients

Alcohol, ecstacy and marijuana use has always been an issue for teens in the United States, but there are other alarming trends as well. More than five percent of 12 year-olds in this country say they have abused prescription drugs. As a medical professional on the front lines, how do you talk to teens and their parents if you suspect an addiction problem with your patients? Kimberly Comparetto, a psychiatric mental health NP who works in the adolescent in-patient unit of Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook, Maine, joins host Mimi Secor to talk about risk factors, warning signs, treatment options and ways to open the lines of communication between patients and parents who may have a child with an addiction problem.