American Youth Intentional Drug-Opioid Fatal Overdose: The Magnitude of the Problem and Improved Assessment of Intentionality-Recording Presentation

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. John Renner from the American Psychiatric Association welcomes viewers to a webinar on American youth intentional drug opioid fatal overdose and improved assessment of intentionality. The webinar is presented on behalf of the SAMHSA-funded Providers Clinical Support System. The slides for the presentation are available for download in the chat area or through a follow-up email, and attendees are encouraged to submit questions throughout the presentation for the Q&A session at the end. Dr. Yevar Kaminer, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, discusses the association between substance use and suicidal behavior, highlighting that the majority of adults and youth with suicidal behavior have a pre-existing psychiatric disorder. He also emphasizes the need for accurate determination of intentionality in fatal drug intoxication cases and introduces the concept of "death of despair"- the increase in premature mortality from suicide and drug overdose, associated with despair, hopelessness, and substance misuse among young adults. Dr. Kaminer discusses the opioid crisis and the rise of fentanyl as a potent and lethal synthetic opioid. He highlights the increasing prevalence of fatal drug intoxication among adolescents and urges for improved prevention efforts, starting with drug education and prevention in elementary schools. Dr. Kaminer also discusses the limitations of the current medical examiner system in accurately determining the manner of death and calls for improvements in the system. The presentation concludes with a Q&A session and contact information for further inquiries.

Keywords

webinar

intentional drug opioid fatal overdose

SAMHSA-funded Providers Clinical Support System

substance use

suicidal behavior

fatal drug intoxication

opioid crisis

fentanyl

prevention efforts

medical examiner system