CANDACE CAMPOS AND TRAFFIC SAFETY EXPERT TROOPER STEVE. THIS IS NEWS. 6 AT 09:00AM
GETTING RESULTS.
>> JULIE: WE ALL KNOW
ESPECIALLY WHEN THINGS GET
BUSY. IT IS TOUGH TO KEEP YOUR
EYES ON YOUR KIDS AT ALL THE
TIME. BUT THAT COULD LEAD TO
ACCIDENTS AT HOME. AND IN
RECENT YEARS, THE RATE OF
TEENS INTENTIONALLY IN JUSTING
HARMFUL SUBSTANCES IS ON THE
RISE MORNING ANCHOR AND HEALTH
REPORTER KIRSTIN O’CONNOR IS
STANDING BY NOW TO ASK A
DOCTOR WITH THEIR SEEN. ASK A
DOCTOR IS SPONSORED BY CAN BE
PRIMARY CARE PROCEEDINGS. YES,
DOCTOR IS SPONSORED BY CAN BE
PRIMARY CARE PROCEEDINGS. YES, Better Ingredients. THE TOUGH TOPIC RIGHT AROUND
THE HOLIDAYS. AND OF COURSE,
DURING THE PANDEMIC WE’VE SEEN
THIS PROBLEM MUCH LIKE MANY
OTHERS, NOT JUST KIDS IN THE
HOUSE. YOU THEY’RE LIKE
DETERGENT PODS ARE THE
CHALLENGES THAT KIDS ARE
TALKING ABOUT ON TIKTOK. THAT
CAN BE DANGEROUS. SOMETIMES
THESE INGESTIONS OUR
INTENTIONAL AND PREVENTABLE.
SO JOINING US NOW IS DOCTOR
JENNA WHEELER AT PEDIATRIC
CRITICAL CARE PHYSICIAN FROM
ORLANDO HEALTH, ARNOLD PALMER
HOSPITAL. THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE FOR HAVING ME. SO LET’S
TALK ABOUT INGESTIONS IN
GENERAL. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING
COMING THE INTENSIVE CARE
UNIT? I THINK IT’S A REALLY
IMPORTANT TOPIC TO TALK ABOUT
BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T
THINK ABOUT IT. AND YOU KNOW,
WHAT I’VE NOTICED IS I’VE BEEN
DOING THIS FOR A FEW YEARS
NOW. IT SEEMS LIKE IT’S
GETTING YOUNGER AND YOUNGER.
AND THINK PEOPLE HAVE KIND A
FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY THAT,
YOU KNOW, MY CHILD’S NOT AT
THE AGE WHEN THAT’S SOMETHING
I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT OR
CONSIDER. BUT WE’RE STARTING
TO SEE, YOU KNOW, THAT TREND
FOR MATCHED IN THE HIGH SCHOOL
AGE GROUP, BUT BEING DOWN TO
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND BEING
REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT
AWARENESS AND TO KNOW WHAT
MEDICATIONS AND THINGS AROUND
YOUR HOME.
>> I KNOW AS A PARENT WHO HAS
A BABY, YOU THINK ABOUT THE
LITTLE CHOKING HAZARDS. SO YOU
HAVE BEEN TALKING SOME YOUNGER
CHILDREN ACCIDENTALLY
INGESTING CERTAIN THINGS. WHAT
ARE SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES?
WE’VE HAD YOUNGER KIDS WHO
COME IN WITH, YOU KNOW, DRUGS
AND DIFFERENT CHEMICALS THAT
ARE THAT LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO
CANDY. THEY CAN LOOK LIKE THE
SAME CANDY THAT YOU HAVE IN
THE CUPBOARD FROM THEM WERE
THEY GO OVER TO A COUSIN’S
HOUSE OR OF, YOU KNOW, FAMILY
FRIEND, TOO. THE PARENTS MAY
NOT KNOW THAT THERE’S, YOU
KNOW, ILLICIT SUBSTANCES IN
THE HOME AND PEOPLE. THINK
THAT THEY HAVE THEM UP IN
KIDS, FIND THEM AND THINK
THEIR CANDY IN. AND THAT SEEMS
TO WE’VE GOT A NUMBER OF
YOUNGER KIND OF THE PRESCHOOL
UNION GROVE ELEMENTARY KIDS
WHO’VE COME IN WITH INGESTIONS
OF OF CANDY LIKE SUBSTANCES.
THAT CERTAINLY ARE NOT CANDY,
RIGHT. AND THEN THE BIGGER
PROBLEM, THOUGH, THAT WE’VE
BEEN SEEING NOW, ESPECIALLY
DURING THE PANDEMIC, YOU SAID
ARE INTENTIONAL NOT. THESE ARE
TEENAGERS. YOU SAID IT’S
IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT
THINGS THAT ARE RIGHT IN YOUR
MEDICINE CABINET. AND THAT’S
THE THING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE
DON’T REALIZE. YOU KNOW,
THERE’S THIS KIND OF COMMON
THOUGHT. I THINK A LOT OF THE
TEENS AS WELL. MOST OF THESE
TEENS DON’T REALLY WANT TO
HAVE A FATAL OUTCOME, BUT THEY
NEED HELP THEIR THIS IS THEIR
CRY FOR HELP AND SOME OF THEM
DON’T REALIZE THE DAMAGE THAT
THEY CAN DO FROM SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN BUY AT DRUGSTORE.
AND SO THEY GET THIS KIND OF
FALSE SENSE OF, WELL, I CAN DO
THIS. I CAN GET THE HELP THAT
I NEED. BUT IN THE END, THEY
CAN DO SOME REAL PERMANENT
DAMAGE. OBVIOUSLY THE RISK OF
DEATH IS THERE TOO. AND OF
COURSE, WE’VE SEEN THE MENTAL
HEALTH CRISIS REALLY TAKE
SHAPE IN THIS COUNTRY DURING
THE BUT BUT SOMETHING LIKE
THAT COULD BE CONFUSED AS A
CRY FOR HELP
>> JULIE: A WAY TO ARTICULATE
A PROBLEM TEENAGERS HAVING
WITHOUT REALLY BEING ABLE TO
SAY I HAVE DEPRESSION. I HAVE
A MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM THAT I
NEED TO GO SEE A PROFESSIONAL
ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE TALKING TO
THESE KIDS AFTER THEY’VE HAD
AN EPISODE LIKE THIS, WHAT ARE
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT
THEY’RE REALLY NEEDING? A LOT
OF HIS SUPPORT. THEY NEED TO
TO FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A PLACE
TO GO AND LIKE YOU SAID, THEY
NEED SOMEONE TO VALIDATE HOW
THEY’RE FEELING. YOU KNOW,
EVEN AS AN ADULT, IT’S
SOMETIMES HARD TO IDENTIFY
SOMETHING AS ANXIETY OR
DEPRESSION. BUT FOR THESE KIDS
WHOSE BODIES ARE CHANGING,
THERE’S SO MANY CHEMICAL
CHANGES IN THEIR BODY AND
THEY’RE TRYING TO FIGURE
THEMSELVES OUT AND THEN YOU
PUT OTHER KIDS IN THE MIX AND
YOU PUT BULLYING IN TRYING TO
LOOK LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE AND
WE ALL KNOW IT’S HARD TO BE A
TEENAGER AND WE KNOW THIS
MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS. I
WOULDN’T GET BACK TO THEM. BUT
YOU PUT ALL THAT INTO THIS
LITTLE MIND TO FEELS SO
DIFFERENT ALREADY. AND LIKE
YOU SAID, THEY CAN’T SAY, OH,
THIS IS DEPRESSION. SHE COULD
TALK TO SOMEONE RIGHT.
INSTEAD, THEY JUST HAVE THESE
OVERWHELMING FEELINGS OF
SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE. AND
UNFORTUNATELY A LOT OF THEM
TURN TO 2 INGESTIONS IN 2
SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AND IT’S JUST
IT’S SO SAD. AND AFTER IT
HAPPENS, I THINK THE BIGGEST
THING TO REASSURE THESE KIDS
IS THIS HAPPENED. IT WAS A
REALLY POOR CHOICE. BUT WE’RE
HERE NOW TO HELP YOU MAKE GOOD
CHOICES GOING FORWARD SO THAT
YOU DON’T END UP BACK IN THE
SITUATION.
>> YEAH. AND IT IS A TOUGH
TIME TO BE HAVING THESE
CONVERSATIONS. THE HOLIDAYS.
EVERYBODY TRYING TO HAVE A
GOOD TIME BUT NOT SOMETHING TO
OVERLOOK RIGHT NOW.