By Plamena Quintavalla, Bronxville School Reporter for Syntax

Nov. 30, 2016:  The Bronxville School Be Well Committee will hold a screening of Breaking Points, a new short documentary that raises awareness about the stress levels that high school and college students experience and the unhealthy ways that many of them cope.

The screening will take place on Wednesday, November 30, at 7:00 pm in the school's multipurpose room. 

The film explores behavior that is becoming normalized among students: abusing prescription medicines not prescribed to them, including Rx stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. 

The film, directed by Tucker Capps, known for his work on A&E's Intervention, is a part of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids' Medicine Abuse Project, a national action campaign with the goal of preventing and addressing medicine abuse among teens. 

Breaking Points includes candid perspectives from high school and college students and nationally recognized experts, challenging the misperceived "safety" and effectiveness of abusing prescription stimulants without a doctor's prescription.

The film serves as a catalyst to inform discussions about what parents and communities can do to support teens who are struggling to manage stress and anxiety.

"We hope this film serves as a wake-up call to parents. Seeing how normalized Rx stimulant abuse is in school settings will help put this dangerous behavior on parents' radar," Be Well chairperson Molly Hendrick said. "We are proud to partner with Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to provide key opportunities for parents, educators, and community leaders to explore what steps they can take to help young people better manage stress."

Along with interviews with high school and college students from across the country talking about their own experiences, the film also features interviews with Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse; Denise Pope, author, Stanford senior lecturer, and co-founder of Challenge Success; and Alan Schwarz, Pulitzer Prize-nominated national correspondent for the New York Times, among others.

Following the screening, Lillian Neuman of the Maxwell Institute in Tuckahoe will participate in a discussion. Neuman provides outreach and counseling for addiction and meets with Bronxville School students every year. Bronxville High School Principal Ann Meyer will also talk about the school's plans to address student stress.

For more information about Breaking Points, please visit www.drugfree.org/breakingpoints, where you can find extensive interviews and experts from the movie, as well as shareable infographics on teen prescription medicine abuse, stress, and anxiety. 

Pictured here:  The façade of The Bronxville School in fall.

Photo by A. Warner