Three high school students are being evaluated by health care providers at a drug rehabilitation clinic that serves adolescents. Hector, a 15-year-old boy, appears agitated and restless. He tells his health care provider that he is having muscle spasms. Upon examination, the care provider notes that Hector has a rapid heart rate and a dangerously high blood pressure. Carolyn, a 16-year-old girl, is being reassessed following a visit to the emergency room last night. According to her ER records, Carolyn was at a party with her friends when she suddenly had a seizure. Her records also document that she had an abnormal heart rate upon admission. Dante, a 14-year-old boy, was also admitted to the ER the night before. Dante’s parents found him lying on the couch in a deep sleep. When they could not arouse their son, they rushed him to the hospital where he experienced a convulsion. Later that night, Dante’s parents discovered medication hidden in his room that his mother had used earlier, following major surgery.

Q&A Education