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What might be fueling fentanyl-related overdose deaths among teens
Zach Didier, a 17-year-old student from Rocklin County, California, was a straight-A student, a gifted soccer athlete, and a dedicated actor in his high school theater program. Yet, in December of 2020, just two days after celebrating Christmas with his family, and weeks following his application to several universities, Zach died from a fentanyl overdose.
According to a Sacramento Bee interview with Zach’s mother, Laura Didier, Zach was “found dead at his desk in his bedroom,” and, following an investigation by a coroner, there was no clear and immediate answer to how he died. Eventually, a toxicology report determined that a purchase Zach made via Snapchat of a counterfeit pill containing a lethal dose of fentanyl, one of which he believed to be a pain-killing Percocet, was the cause of his death.
There had been no prior signs indicating the risk of Zach dying from opioid use; he had no medical conditions nor a history of habitual substance abuse. The absence of any prior susceptibility, along with Zach’s exceptional drive in academics, begs the question: Is the overwhelming nature of academics making teens with no prior history of substance abuse more susceptible to overdose deaths involving opioids?
Viable answers may be found in the following studies:
The National Library of Medicine defines academic pressure as “the tension, discomfort, and other emotions caused by the pressure from school, family, and society in the learning process”.
Additionally, an article by the Mapua Malayan Colleges: Mindanao, refers to academic pressure as “the burden students might feel to meet high academic standards”.
These two definitions, while from distinctly different sources, effectively uphold a truth about academic pressure and the surrounding context in which it may occur. With the emotional weight that students carry in the pursuit of academic success, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that a psychological response of depression and anxiety could likely accompany it.
In the National Library of Medicine study “The association between academic pressure and adolescent mental health problems: A systematic review”, researchers conducted 52 studies assessing a potential correlation between academic pressure and mental health problems concerning symptoms of anxiety and depression. Among the study group, 48 studies revealed a positive association between anxiety and depression and academic pressure, showcasing the near-undeniable connection between the two.
While Zach Didier didn’t attend a rigorous private school, which researchers from the National Library of Medicine associate with high rates of chronic stress, he was a high-achieving high school student who was heavily involved in his passions academically and athletically.
Researchers from the same study also suggest that the rigorous college application process, much of which high-achieving students participate in, also accounts for such chronic stress and is even considered a driving force behind this emotional condition. Regarding Zach’s circumstances around the time of his death, his recent participation in the highly competitive college application process could potentially reflect this reality.
These tense emotions, in collaboration with an unyielding drive to succeed, can often lead to adolescents developing unhealthy coping strategies, such as substance abuse.
In a report conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 73% of adolescents reported the use of substances to feel “mellow, calm, or relaxed”, and regarding prescription pain killers, this percentage falls only to around 61%.
However, it’s clear that Zach hadn’t intentionally ingested fentanyl in his usage, and due to the increasing prominence of overdose deaths caused by fentanyl, it’s crucial to understand why.
Researchers from a 2024 National Library of Medicine study, “The Overdose Crisis among Adolescents“, describe how, although adolescent drug use has become less common, youth mortality from drug use has risen dramatically, with drug overdoses and poisonings becoming the “third-leading cause of pediatric deaths in this country, after firearm-related injuries and motorcycle crashes.” Researchers describe the “widespread availability of counterfeit pills containing illicit fentanyl” as the “important driver” of this surge in youth mortality.
In the CDC report “Drug Overdose Deaths Among Persons Aged 10–19 Years — United States, July 2019–December 2021″, researchers found that deaths involving illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) increased by 109%. Specifically, 90% of these overdose deaths involved opioids, and 84% involved illicitly manufactured fentanyl.
The study also describes how counterfeit pills, fentanyl pills of which are frequently made to resemble prescription drugs, accounted for nearly 25% of these deaths. Furthermore, only 35% of the teens who died from an overdose had a documented history of opioid abuse, highlighting the nearly two-thirds of teens, like Zach, who had no prior opioid usage up until their death.
The National Library of Medicine states that “fentanyl has increasingly been pressed into counterfeit pills resembling oxycodone, benzodiazepines, and other prescription-drug tablets,” which, due to how prescription drugs are perceived, has led to an increase in adolescent substance experimentation.
A popular misconception regarding the lethality of prescription drugs emphasizes this influx in adolescent experimentation, with the Drug Enforcement Administration stating, “most teens wrongly believe that prescription drugs are safer than ‘street drugs’,” like cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana.
With the reality of adolescents often mistaking counterfeit fentanyl pills for prescription drugs, this misconception makes the risk of fentanyl-related overdose deaths via experimentation all the more apparent.
Ultimately, each study indicates that, because of a lack of prior knowledge, experience and popular misconceptions, many teens, like Zach, hadn’t intended to consume fentanyl in their use and likely perceived the impact of their usage as a vessel of emotional escape rather than a life-threatening decision.
The context behind Zach’s death reflects the broader reality existing within this epidemic.
Teen substance abuse, or the habitual usage of substances, is on a decline, just as Zach hadn’t been a habitual user. Yet, teen opioid-related deaths, often occurring amongst teens who rarely abused substances previously, are on the incline, similarly relating to the sudden nature of Zach’s fatality.
While the frequency of drug abuse hasn’t increased, the lethality of it – mainly because of fentanyl – has skyrocketed. More and more young people are turning to nonhabitual, yet lethal, drug use to cope with the overwhelming impact of academic pressure, and this ever-growing reality should raise an alarm.
Zach’s story should highlight the impact of this haunting reality – a reality in which young people who are simply trying to stay afloat amid the turbulent storm of competitive college applications, impactful grades, and time-consuming extracurriculars believe they have nowhere else to turn than substance misuse.
Much of this research highlights the lack of harmless and conducive resources that are both effective and readily accessible to teenagers. To lessen the rate of such mortalities, it’s crucial that both the nation’s healthcare and educational systems work further to provide resources that can save adolescents’ lives and sustain mental health,, as opposed to leaving teenagers with the burden of relievingschool stress with substances.
As the school year approaches, students can benefit from developing safer methods for managing mental health. To learn more about these methods, visit Back to school mental health tips for success.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
