VIDEO: Assessment Gaps | Kids Don't Think Kratom is a Drug
TRANSCRIPT:
What our real risk is and why we're doing this with clinicians is we're missing that a little bit as clinicians. We're missing the signs. We're not asking the questions. It's not on our standard evaluation, "Tell me what gas station substances you're taking,"
Because when I ask a kid, "Are you on drugs?" He's like, "No."
And I'm like, "Cocaine?" "No."
"Meth?" "No."
"Heroin?" "No."
And then when I ask about kratom, they're like, "Wait, well, that's not a drug," Or what about Deltas? "Well, that's not a drug. I get that from the grocery store."
And so... You have to, hone in our specific focus to get information around this, not as a way to, be alarmist with that patient or that person in particular, but for us to gain some knowledge on what we're looking for then because the psychosis that we're seeing settle in for some of these gas station substances starts out a little subtle, right?
It's that start where it's like, a little bit of paranoia, a little bit of OCD or fixed attention to some random fact. Where they get hyper-focused and are telling you everything that you ever didn't wanna know about something.
And It's not that it doesn't make sense at all, but what we're looking for when we know they're doing stuff like that is how much time are they pouring into this? How deep are they going into this?
We're hearing the surface level because that's the part that's safe to share, but then we can assume that there's more beneath that surface. You know, how deep does it go is our question. Because that's all the early symptoms to what will later follow as full-blown psychotic episode.
And I think we're often missing it. I know when my patients get to me, they've already been through multiple therapists, the family has gone to the therapist. You hear that kind of thing going on, and if that's been going on for a period of time, there's been a couple of slips along the way where we've had a little bit of an emergency room because we had a panic attack, You know, we had a couple of little episodes like that which go unmarked as a red flag for us.
And so we're here to talk to you about it to make sure that you're aware that those are early signs, and that's where we should start to do more in-depth assessment of what's going on.
This video is an excerpt from a continuing education presentation in Philadelphia featuring Kevin Bandy of Voyage Recovery Center and Brandy Price Klingman of St. Christopher’s Addiction Wellness Center. The presentation explored kratom and other emerging substances and the challenges they present for clinicians, families, and young adults. Special thanks to Synergy Houses, Ashley Addiction Treatment, and Be a Part of the Conversation for helping make this event possible.
This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. If you have questions or concerns about kratom, emerging substances, or substance use in a young adult, please contact Voyage Recovery Center directly.
