The Dr Suzette Glasner Podcast

Hayden Panettiere’s Death: Was It a Counterfeit Pill? What the reported fentanyl theory could reveal about fake oxycodone, pain, addiction, and today’s overdose crisis New reports suggest investigators are examining whether Hayden Panettiere took what she believed was oxycodone—but may instead have received a counterfeit pill containing fentanyl. Her official cause of death has not been determined. Toxicology results are still pending, no supplier has been charged, and the counterfeit-pill explanation remains a working theory attributed to law-enforcement sources. Clinical psychologist and addiction scientist Dr. Suzette Glasner explains what it really means when a drug is “cut” with fentanyl, why counterfeit pills are manufactured to resemble familiar medications, and why even experienced users cannot reliably identify them by their appearance. She also examines how physical pain can become part of the pathway to risky opioid use, which groups currently face the highest overdose death rates, and what can reduce the risk—including naloxone, fentanyl test strips, avoiding solitary use, and effective treatment for opioid use disorder. You can watch the full episode here: If you find this episode useful, please subscribe and share it. Someone may be holding a pill and assuming they know what is inside. If you suspect an overdose, call 911 and administer naloxone immediately. For treatment information, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) . For an immediate mental-health or substance-use crisis, call or text 988 . 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the psychology and neuroscience of mental health, addiction, and behavior. 🎧 Watch or listen to more episodes of The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast : https://www.youtube.com/@drglasner 📩 Send your questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 Learn more about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com #HaydenPanettiere #CounterfeitPills #Fentanyl #OpioidCrisis #AddictionRecovery This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

A little over a month ago, the federal government moved toward placing concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine—better known as 7-OH—into Schedule I. The federal comment period has now closed, but state and local governments have not waited for a final decision. North Dakota came within one vote of banning kratom entirely before adopting a narrower law that bans synthetic kratom products, limits natural kratom to adults 21 and older, and establishes labeling and licensing requirements. Massachusetts has taken a broader approach to kratom products, while California has removed thousands of kratom and 7-OH products from stores—yet acknowledges that online sellers remain difficult to reach. In Episode 71, Dr. Suzette Glasner examines: • Where the federal 7-OH scheduling process currently stands• Why Schedule I restrictions could impact scientific research• The difference between concentrated 7-OH products and natural kratom leaf• Why North Dakota rejected a total kratom ban• How Massachusetts and California are approaching enforcement• Why “natural” kratom should not automatically be considered harmless You can watch the full episode here: Dr. Suzette Glasner is a licensed clinical psychologist and addiction scientist at UCLA who studies addiction, mental health and digitally delivered behavioral healthcare. KEY SOURCES Federal 7-OH scheduling and public-comment process: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/26/2026-17409/hydroxymitragynine-above-a-specified-threshold-in-schedule-i-extension-of-comment-period North Dakota legislation: https://www.nd.gov/news/armstrong-signs-bill-banning-synthetic-kratom-restricting-natural-kratom-21-and-older Kratom use disorder research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38441236/ RESOURCES If you are experiencing tolerance, withdrawal, cravings or difficulty controlling your use of kratom or 7-OH, consider speaking with a qualified healthcare professional. SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline Find treatment: https://findtreatment.gov Naloxone information: https://www.cdc.gov/stop-overdose/caring/naloxone.html Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222https://www.poison.org For an immediate mental-health or substance-related crisis, call or text 988. Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the psychology and neuroscience of mental health, addiction, and behavior. 📩 Send your questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🎧 Watch and listen to more episodes → The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast www.youtube.com/@drglasner 🧩 Learn more about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com This episode is for educational purposes and is not individualized medical advice. #Kratom #7OH #AddictionScience #DrugPolicy #MentalHealth This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

Are antidepressants overprescribed—and could therapy work just as well for many of the people taking them?Clinical psychologist and scientist Dr. Suzette Glasner examines what the research actually shows about antidepressants, psychotherapy, and the growing debate over psychiatric overprescribing.Large studies comparing antidepressant medication with structured psychotherapy—especially cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT—have found surprisingly small differences in effectiveness for many people with depression and anxiety. But that does not mean antidepressants do not work or are never necessary. For severe, recurrent, psychotic, or highly impairing depression, medication can be an essential and sometimes lifesaving part of treatment.The more important question is whether antidepressants have become the default in cases where therapy, lifestyle changes, or a more complete assessment might address the underlying problem just as effectively.Chapters0:00 Are Antidepressants Overprescribed?0:43 Jim Carrey on His Experience With Prozac1:40 Therapy vs. Antidepressants: What Research Shows5:55 When Antidepressants Are Clearly Indicated8:46 Jim Carrey: Alcohol, Caffeine and CBT13:29 Is Talk Therapy Making a Comeback?14:25 RFK Jr.’s Antidepressant Claims, Fact-Checked15:05 Discontinuation Syndrome vs. Addiction19:15 How to Taper Antidepressants More Safely You can watch the full episode here: This episode explores:• How antidepressants compare with CBT for depression and anxiety• When medication is clearly indicated—and when therapy may be equally effective• How alcohol, caffeine, sleep, and other factors can affect or worsen depression• Whether antidepressants are truly difficult to discontinue• The difference between antidepressant withdrawal and addiction• RFK Jr.’s claim that SSRIs can be harder to quit than heroin• What RFK Jr. gets right—and wrongDo not stop or reduce an antidepressant abruptly or without consulting a qualified healthcare professional. Some people require a gradual, individualized taper, particularly after long-term treatment.Dr. Suzette Glasner is a licensed clinical psychologist, digital health executive, and addiction scientist who serves on the faculty at UCLA.If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org.🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the psychology and neuroscience of mental health, addiction, and behavior.📩 Send your questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com🎧 Listen to more episodes → The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast[www.youtube.com/@drglasner](http://www.youtube.com/@drglasner)🧩 Learn more about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com #Antidepressants #RFKJr #MentalHealth #DepressionTreatment #SSRIs #CBT #AntidepressantWithdrawal This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

As closing arguments conclude in the Lindsay Clancy trial, the case centers on one extraordinarily difficult question: Was Clancy criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children—or was she so severely mentally ill that she could not understand the wrongfulness of her actions? In this episode, Dr. Suzette Glasner examines the prosecution’s and defense’s competing interpretations of the evidence, the legal standard for insanity, and what the case reveals about postpartum psychiatric emergencies. The discussion explores: • The central arguments presented by the prosecution and defense• Why having a mental illness is not, by itself, enough to establish legal insanity• Postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and how they differ• The difficult distinction between being severely ill and being legally not guilty by reason of insanity Dr. Suzette Glasner is a licensed clinical psychologist and addiction scientist at UCLA and a digital health industry executive. She has also served as a forensic psychological expert in criminal cases involving the effects of addiction and mental illness on serious crimes, including homicide. You can watch the full episode here: CHAPTERS 0:00 The Lindsay Clancy Trial: What’s at Stake1:39 What Happened During the Trial3:56 Massachusetts’ Legal Standard for Insanity4:13 Why the Prosecution’s Experts Disagreed6:04 What Is Postpartum Psychosis?8:05 Lindsay Clancy’s Clinical Risk Factors11:12 Did the Evidence Establish Psychosis?13:36 How Jurors Should Evaluate Conflicting Experts14:50 Andrea Yates and Other Insanity-Defense Cases16:01 What “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity” Means18:26 Is Lindsay Clancy Likely to Be Released?18:50 The Clinical Takeaway and Mental Health Resources This episode is for educational purposes only and does not offer a diagnosis of Lindsay Clancy or any other individual. The discussion is based on publicly available information and the evidence presented in court. RESOURCES If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or having thoughts of suicide: • Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org • If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Maternal mental health support: • National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: Call or text 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262), available 24/7 https://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs-impact/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline • Postpartum Support International HelpLine and resources: https://www.postpartum.net/get-help/psi-helpline/ 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the psychology and neuroscience of mental health, addiction, and behavior. 📩 Send your questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🎧 Listen to more episodes → The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast www.youtube.com/@drglasner 🧩 Learn more about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com #LindsayClancy #PostpartumPsychosis #InsanityDefense #MaternalMentalHealth #ForensicPsychology This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

Recently we lost Hayden Panettiere — and her death has left a lot of open questions. Before toxicology results come back, addiction scientist and clinical psychologist Dr. Suzette Glasner separates what we actually know from what we don’t, and examines why the people who’ve done the public work of recovery and advocacy are often the last to get help when they’re struggling again. In this episode:— What’s confirmed so far about Hayden’s death, and what’s still unknown— Brian Hickerson’s domestic violence history with Hayden, and her own public advocacy against it— Why relapse — in addiction and in leaving an abusive relationship — is rarely a single event— The “wounded healer” pattern: why advocates and helpers are often the last to ask for help themselves— How the struggles of those who are “high-functioning” can stay invisible, even to the person living it— Checking in on someone who “seems fine” You can watch the full episode on YouTube here: Chapters: 0:00 —What We Know, What We Don’t7:10 — Why Recovery Isn’t a Finish Line10:12 —Why Helpers Are Often the Last to Ask for Help13:26 —The Invisible Relapse16:07 — How to Show Up for Someone Who “Seems Fine”18:49 — Key Takeaways If you or someone you love is struggling with substance use, the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is free, confidential, and available 24/7. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233, also free and confidential, 24/7. This episode draws on reporting from TMZ, NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, Rolling Stone, Forbes, E! News, Newsweek, azfamily.com, Fox Carolina, The Hollywood Gossip, SheKnows, Extra, The Tab, and Yahoo Entertainment. Episode art: Storm Santos / Via Marque Public Relations This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

After Perez Hilton was hospitalized following a widely reported mental health crisis involving self-harm on a livestream, many people asked the same question: Why would someone do this—especially in front of an audience? In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Suzette Glasner explains what the science reveals about self-harm: the functions it can serve, how it differs from a suicide attempt, and what loved ones should—and shouldn’t—do. You’ll learn: • Why people self-harm• The clinical difference between self-harm and suicidal behavior• The risk factors associated with self-injury• How exposure to self-harm content on social media can affect vulnerable viewers• How to respond with compassion while taking the situation seriously CHAPTERS 0:00 Perez Hilton’s mental health crisis2:13 How common is self-harm?3:48 What self-harm does for a person5:31 Self-harm vs. a suicide attempt7:37 What puts someone at risk11:20 When self-harm becomes public13:51 What to do—and how to help15:37 Key takeaways You can view the full episode here: STAY CONNECTED 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on the psychology and neuroscience of mental health, addiction, and behavior. 📩 Send your questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🎧 Listen to more episodes → The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast: www.youtube.com/@drglasner 🧩 Learn more about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com CONTENT NOTE This episode discusses self-harm and suicide without including graphic details or descriptions of methods. RESOURCES For immediate crisis support in the United States: • Call or text 988: https://988lifeline.org • Text HOME to 741741 to reach Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.org • If there is immediate danger, call emergency services. Self-harm-specific resources: • Self-injury Outreach & Support (SiOS) offers coping and recovery resources for people who self-injure and those supporting them: https://www.sioutreach.org • S.A.F.E. Alternatives provides specialized information and treatment for self-injury: https://selfinjury.com These resources do not replace care from a qualified medical or mental health professional. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

Dr. Suzette Glasner sits down with Kathryn Burgum, White House Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery and Co-Chair of the Great American Recovery Initiative, at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C. Kathryn has been sober for 24 years. In this conversation, she shares her personal journey through alcohol addiction, undiagnosed depression, and years of relapse — and the moment that asking for help changed everything. She and Dr. Glasner talk about the role faith played in her recovery, why addiction should be treated as a chronic disease rather than a moral failing, the shame and stigma that keep people from seeking help, the case for peer recovery support specialists, and what she hopes the Great American Recovery Initiative will change for the next generation. You can watch the full episode here: Chapters:2:01 Kathryn Burgum’s Story: The Moment Everything Changed After Two Decades10:41 Faith, Gratitude, and the Research on Spirituality13:55 Depression, Relapse, and Staying Vigilant in Recovery21:26 The Case for Peer Recovery Support Specialists25:32 A White House With Personal Ties to Addiction — and the Birth of the Initiative35:49 Fixing a Fragmented, Stigmatized Treatment System45:18 What Success Looks Like, and the Cost of Inaction59:20 Turning Lived Experience Into Policy — and Her Message to Anyone Still Struggling If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 for immediate support. To find treatment for addiction in the United States, visit FindTreatment.gov. 🔔 Follow/subscribe wherever you listen for weekly episodes on the psychology and neuroscience of mental health, addiction, and behavior. 📩 Send your questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 Learn more about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

After several episodes deep in the policy side of the kratom story — the DEA’s action on 7-OH, the regulatory fight, and the science, this week, we delve into a heartbreaking true story told by documentarians - in their forthcoming film. Jason and Jamie Neese are twin brothers, and Emmy-nominated producers on Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. Their new documentary, “Kratom: Side Effects May Include,” just had its world premiere at Dances With Films in New York and has since screened in Los Angeles. But before any of that, it started with a phone call and a story they couldn’t shake: Patti Wheeler had lost one of her twin sons to kratom. He died in his twin brother’s arms. As twins themselves, that detail hit Jason and Jamie differently than it might hit anyone else — and it’s a big part of why this conversation goes places most film-promotion interviews don’t. We talk about what it was like directing this project together as brothers, what surprised them most during production, and where they’ve landed on the policy fight now splitting the kratom industry, including their response to American Kratom Association figure Mac Haddow’s public claims about Patti’s motives. In this episode:– Growing up as twins, and directing a film together as adults– How making the film challenged their assumptions about addiction and stigma– Patti Wheeler’s story, and what it meant to hear it as twins themselves– Their take on kratom and concentrated 7-OH after making the film– The pushback from the kratom industry, and how they’ve responded– What they hope the film actually changes Watch or listen to the full conversation below: If you want to go deeper: watch the trailer for “Kratom: Side Effects May Include,” here: https://kratomsideeffectsmayinclude.com Visit Patti Wheeler’s nonprofit, A Beautiful Life Stolen: https://abeautifullifestolen.com If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction: SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357. If this one lands for you, forward it to someone who’d want to hear it. 🔔 Follow/subscribe wherever you listen for weekly episodes on the psychology and neuroscience of mental health, addiction, and behavior. 📩 Send your questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 Learn more about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com #Kratom #KratomAwareness #7OH #AddictionScience #OpioidCrisis This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

Ep. 64: A Mother’s Fight After Losing Her Son to Kratom — Patti Wheeler Patti Wheeler spent fifteen years traveling the world as a flight attendant, then became a mother to twin sons, Gannon and Wyatt, and an author of the beloved Travels with Gannon & Wyatt book series. On October 25, 2022, everything changed: her son Wyatt, 27, died after taking kratom — in his twin brother’s arms. He’d turned to kratom as a way to stop drinking, with little or no awareness of the potential risks associated with its use. In this episode, clinical psychologist and addiction scientist Dr. Suzette Glasner talks with Patti about who Wyatt was before she lost him, and what the science actually says about kratom — its effects on the brain, its risks, and its potential benefits. Dr. Glasner and Patti also discuss how Patti turned unimaginable grief into action — executive producing the documentary Kratom: Side Effects May Include (directed by Jamie and Jason Neese of The Umbrella Academy) and founding the nonprofit A Beautiful Life Stolen — along with the political fight over regulating 7-OH and kratom extract, and what Patti wants every parent and lawmaker to understand. You can watch the full episode here: Chapters:2:16 Turning Grief Into Advocacy — and Facing the Backlash6:07 What Patti Wheeler Wishes She'd Known about Kratom10:17 Who Patti Was Before Kratom Changed Everything15:28 Wyatt's DUI and His First Brush With Kratom19:53 October 2022: The Warning Signs in Aspen26:37 The Smoke Shop, the Concentrate, and the Science of 7-OH33:49 The Night Wyatt Died41:19 The Toxicology Report: Setting the Record Straight45:13 The Regulatory Fight: What Should Happen to Kratom and 7-OH50:28 Becoming a Documentary Producer52:36 What Would Wyatt Say? Content note: this episode includes a detailed account of a child’s death and may be difficult for some listeners. Learn more / get involved: Documentary: Kratom: Side Effects May Include — kratomsideeffectsmayinclude.com Patti’s nonprofit: A Beautiful Life Stolen — abeautifullifestolen.com If you or someone you love is struggling with kratom dependence: SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357 🔔 Follow/subscribe wherever you listen for weekly episodes on the psychology and neuroscience of mental health, addiction, and behavior. 📩 Send your questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 Learn more about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com #Kratom #KratomAwareness #7OH #AddictionScience #OpioidCrisis This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

Nearly half of people who die by suicide saw a healthcare provider in the month before their death. Many were already receiving treatment. That statistic challenges one of our most common assumptions about mental illness: that psychiatric tragedies happen because people never ask for help. The upcoming Lindsay Clancy trial raises an even more difficult question. What happens when someone is already receiving extensive psychiatric care—and a catastrophic psychiatric emergency still isn’t recognized? In this episode, Dr. Suzette Glasner—licensed clinical psychologist and scientist at UCLA —examines the Lindsay Clancy case through the lens of clinical psychology rather than true crime. Instead of asking whether Lindsay Clancy is guilty or innocent, she explores what this case may reveal about the limits of current psychiatric risk assessment. The episode examines the parallels between missed suicide risk and missed postpartum psychiatric emergencies, the critical differences between postpartum OCD and postpartum psychosis, why clinicians routinely screen for suicide but may not be trained to assess risk of harm to children, and the warning signs that families and healthcare professionals should recognize when a psychiatric emergency is unfolding. Watch the full episode here: Chapters 0:00 Intro — A Statistic That Should Change How We Think About Psychiatric Tragedy 1:12 Lindsay Clancy’s Mental Health Treatment Timeline 3:27 Why Being in Treatment Doesn’t Always Mean Someone Is Safe 6:00 The Blind Spot: Why Clinicians May Not Assess Risk to Children 7:54 Understanding Filicide Risk in Postpartum Psychiatric Illness 8:40 Postpartum OCD vs. Postpartum Psychosis: Why the Difference Matters 10:54 What Families Should Watch For—and When to Seek Emergency Help 13:28 The Lindsay Clancy Trial: The Insanity Defense Explained 15:27 Why This Case Matters Beyond One Family 📩 Questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 More from Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

The DEA recently did something it tried and failed to do ten years ago: it moved to put a kratom-derived compound into Schedule I — the same category as heroin. In 2016, the DEA tried to ban kratom outright and had to walk the action back within six weeks after a massive public backlash. This time is different, and the details matter — they reveal something real about how we regulate substances that live in a gray zone between supplement, medicine, and drug of abuse. In this episode, Dr. Suzette Glasner — clinical psychologist and addiction scientist — breaks down what just happened with 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), why regulators are treating it as an opioid, and what a decade of regulatory back-and-forth reveals about the limits of catching dangerous drugs before they cause harm. Watch the full episode here: Chapters: 0:00 Intro — Why This DEA Action Matters 1:19 Kratom vs. 7-OH — What’s Actually in These Products 3:59 The Pharmacology — Why 7-OH Acts Like a Potent Opioid 6:22 The 2016 DEA Failure and a Decade of Patchwork State Laws 10:27 How Drug Scheduling Actually Works (Schedule I Explained) 13:01 What the DEA’s New Notices of Intent Actually Do 14:24 Why the Kratom Industry Is Supporting This Action 14:51 The Caveat — Natural Leaf Kratom Isn’t Risk-Free Either 17:53 Recap and What to Watch For 📩 Questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 More from Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

Joe Rogan spent twenty minutes on Ozempic and GLP-1s recently. He said the drugs kill desire, that people fall out of love, that they treat addiction, that discipline alone would do the same job as the medication. Millions of listeners heard it as settled fact. Some of it holds up. Some of it doesn’t — and the gap between the two reveals a lot about how addiction, appetite, and reward actually work in the brain. In this episode, Dr. Suzette Glasner — clinical psychologist and addiction scientist — goes through Rogan’s biggest claims and checks them against the research. GLP-1s sit at the exact intersection of what she studies: appetite, reward, and behavior change. Watch the full episode here: In this episode: 0:00 Intro — Why Look at Joe Rogan's Ozempic Claims1:20 Claim 1: "It Kills Your Desire" — GLP-1s, Mood, and Anhedonia6:21 Claim 2: Can GLP-1s Curb Addiction? (Alcohol, Smoking, Gambling)10:22 Claim 3: "Just Use Discipline" — Is Obesity a Willpower Problem?13:11 Claim 4: Why Weight Comes Back After Stopping GLP-1s14:48 Recap: What the Science Actually Shows GLP-1s are reshaping addiction treatment and the way we think about weight, willpower, and what it means to struggle with your body. This episode is about what the research actually shows. 📩 Questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 More about Dr. Glasner: https://drglasner.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

In 2002, a twelve-year-old girl voiced one of the most beloved Disney characters of a generation. That same year, she terrified audiences in The Ring . Her name was Daveigh Chase, and for a moment, she was everywhere. Last month, she died in a Los Angeles hospital at 35 years old. The cause of death was sepsis — a bacterial infection that overwhelmed her body. She had been living near Skid Row, malnourished and without access to healthcare, after years of opioid dependence that began with a prescription after a back injury and eventually progressed to heroin and fentanyl. According to her family, she had been missing for nearly a decade. She was not a cautionary tale. She was a person with a treatable disease who didn’t receive adequate treatment. In Episode 60 of The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast, addiction scientist and clinical psychologist Dr. Suzette Glasner examines the forces that shaped Daveigh Chase’s story — and why it keeps repeating. From the specific psychological vulnerabilities that make child performers uniquely susceptible to addiction, to the way opioid dependence progresses from prescription use to fentanyl, to the homelessness-addiction spiral that claimed her life long before the infection did — Dr. Glasner walks through what the science actually tells us about how this happens and what it would take to intervene earlier. You can watch the full episode here: Daveigh Chase’s death wasn’t an overdose in the traditional sense. It was a body weakened by years of fentanyl use, malnutrition, and disconnection from care, exposed to an infection it couldn’t survive. That’s what dying from addiction often actually looks like — not a single moment, but a slow accumulation of harm that the healthcare system never found a way to interrupt. Dr. Glasner also addresses what families can do when someone they love seems unreachable — drawing on evidence-based approaches including CRAFT, harm reduction, and Housing First that don’t require waiting for rock bottom. Tylor Chase. Tyler Christopher. Daveigh Chase. The names change. The structure doesn’t. This episode is about why — and what we can do better. Resources mentioned in this episode: * CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training): smartrecovery.org * SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 — free, confidential, 24/7 * Al-Anon: al-anon.org * Naloxone locator: nextdistro.org If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe to The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast so you never miss a new episode — and consider leaving a review. It makes a real difference in helping others find the show. Have a question, a topic you’d like Dr. Glasner to cover, or a story you think deserves attention? Reach out at AskDrGlasner@gmail.com — she reads every message. 🎧 Listen and subscribe: The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast / Dr. Suzette Glasner 🧩 Learn more: drglasner.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

Is Cannabis Good for Depression and Anxiety? What the Science Actually Says. Millions of Americans use cannabis to manage anxiety and depression. Perceived risk is at an all-time low. And yet — the clinical evidence tells a very different story than the cultural narrative. In this episode, clinical psychologist and addiction scientist Dr. Suzette Glasner breaks down three recent studies that every person using cannabis for mental health, every parent, and every clinician should know about. You can watch the full episode here: A 2026 study followed nearly half a million adolescents and found that individuals who used cannabis had more than double the risk of developing psychosis and bipolar disorder — with cannabis use preceding the diagnosis by almost two years. A Lancet Psychiatry review published the same year found no convincing evidence that cannabis effectively treats anxiety, depression, or PTSD — the conditions Americans most commonly say they use it for. And the potency problem: the cannabis on dispensary shelves today — flower at 15-20%+ THC, concentrates up to 90%. This matters because it directly impacts the risk of psychiatric and medical complications. Dr. Glasner also covers the conditions cannabis is FDA-approved to treat and why the answer surprises most people. In this episode: * Why perceived risk of cannabis has hit historic lows — and why that matters * What cannabis is actually FDA-approved to treat vs. what people use it for * The JAMA adolescent study: 463,000 teens followed over time * The Lancet review: examining evidence for cannabis as mental health treatment * Why potency matters 🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on addiction science and mental health.📩 Questions or topic requests: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 drglasner.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

When Howie Mandel was a guest on the Howard Stern Show, he had a panic attack triggered by a door handle. He couldn’t bring himself to touch it. He tried to get someone else to open it — and when no one would, the OCD diagnosis he’d kept secret for decades slipped out on live radio, in front of millions of listeners. He thought he was off the air. He wasn’t. What happened next surprised him. A stranger stopped him on the street and said two words: I suffer from it too. That moment — realizing he wasn’t alone — changed his life. In this episode, clinical psychologist and addiction scientist Dr. Suzette Glasner use Mandel’s story as a window into what OCD actually is, why it takes an average of nine years to get the right help, and a connection that rarely gets named: the overlap between OCD and addiction. You can watch the full episode here: The OCD-Addiction Connection Alcohol. Cannabis. Whatever creates temporary relief from a brain that won’t stop. That is self-medication — and it is one of the most underrecognized consequences of untreated OCD. Mandel has spoken openly about his own use of alcohol and cannabis to cope, including during the COVID pandemic, when contamination-based OCD became almost unbearable. He is not an outlier. Twenty-five to forty percent of people with OCD misuse substances at some point in their lives — three to six times the general population’s risk. There’s one more piece of this that rarely makes it into the conversation: the role of family. Around 90 percent of families living with OCD accommodate it daily — repeating reassurances, spraying objects before they enter the house. Every act is driven by love. The research is consistent: the more accommodation, the more severe the OCD. Mandel’s wife Terry lived this for decades before drawing a clear, firm, loving line. The parallel to addiction enabling is direct — in both cases, absorbing the consequences of the condition delays the pressure that might otherwise drive someone toward help. The good news is that OCD is treatable. With ERP — Exposure and Response Prevention — 60 to 80 percent of people respond. People in recovery from OCD describe it the same way people in recovery from addiction do: not the absence of the thought, but the absence of its power. The nine-year gap doesn’t have to be your story. 🔍 Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Howie Mandel’s live-radio moment — and the stranger who changed everything 01:59 – Other public figures who’ve spoken out: Billy Bob Thornton, DiCaprio, Timberlake, Radcliffe 03:21 – What OCD actually is (and what it isn’t) 07:10 – The nine-year treatment gap - and why it exists 08:49 – The OCD-addiction connection: the self-medication loop 10:44 – Family accommodation and why love can prolong suffering 14:54 – What actually works: ERP, medication, and NOCD 18:10 – Three things to take with you 🧠 Key Takeaways * OCD is a neurobiological condition driven by intrusive thoughts and compulsive relief behaviors. * On average, nine years pass between onset and appropriate treatment, due to shame, misdiagnosis, and access barriers. * 25–40% of people with OCD misuse or are addicted to substances — self-medication that provides brief relief and worsens the cycle long-term. * Both conditions can and should be treated simultaneously — addressing one without the other significantly raises the risk of relapse. * ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) produces a 60–80% response rate. Combined with medication, it’s the gold standard. Listen to Episode 58 now to hear Howie Mandel’s story. 📩 Questions or topic suggestions? Email AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🔗 Subscribe for evidence-based discussions on addiction, recovery, and mental health. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

In this episode, Dr. Suzette Glasner examines a striking new finding from one of the largest health studies ever conducted: for the first time in recorded history, mental illness has become the leading cause of disability worldwide. Drawing on a major analysis published in The Lancet that tracked mental disorders across 204 countries from 1990 to 2023, Dr. Glasner explains what researchers found, why anxiety and depression are driving much of the increase, and what this shift tells us about the state of global mental health today. You can watch or listen to the full episode of The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast here: The study found that approximately 1.17 billion people—roughly one in seven people worldwide—were living with a diagnosable mental disorder in 2023. Mental illness has now surpassed low back pain and other physical health conditions as the leading cause of years lived with disability, marking a profound change in the global burden of disease. Dr. Glasner explores why adolescents, particularly those between the ages of 15 and 19, are experiencing the sharpest increases in anxiety and depression. She reviews the evidence surrounding smartphones and social media, sleep deprivation, the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the complex relationship between mental health and substance use. She also discusses psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s widely debated book The Anxious Generation and what current research supports—and does not yet support—about the role of technology in the youth mental health crisis. Most importantly, Dr. Glasner highlights five evidence-based strategies that can help reduce the risk of anxiety and depression in young people, including improving sleep, increasing physical activity, strengthening in-person social connections, delaying substance use, and recognizing early warning signs before problems become more severe. If you’re a parent, educator, healthcare professional, or simply someone trying to better understand the growing mental health challenges facing young people today, this episode provides a clear, science-based overview of one of the most important public health findings of the decade. Thank you for being here and being part of this community. ⸻ Have a question about today’s episode? Or a question you’d like me to cover in a future episode? Email: askdrglasner@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

The South Carolina Supreme Court just ordered a retrial in the Alex Murdaugh case — and the opioid defense his attorneys raised is about to get a second look. To be precise: the defense never claimed opioids made Murdaugh kill his wife and son. They claimed opioids made him lie to police in the aftermath. That’s a narrower argument, but from an addiction science standpoint, it’s actually the more interesting one — and the one that tends to get flattened in media coverage. Can a decade-long opioid addiction impair the way someone processes and responds to acute stress? Can it distort judgment, emotional regulation, and self-protective behavior in the hours after trauma — even without intoxication in that moment? These are real clinical questions, and the answers are more complicated than either side in that courtroom wants them to be. In this episode, I walk through Murdaugh’s psychological profile from an addiction and forensic psychology lens: his self-reported opioid use, what we know about how chronic opioid dependence affects the brain’s decision-making and stress response systems, and what the science can and cannot support when it comes to culpability claims like this one. This is the kind of case that forces a harder question: as our understanding of addiction deepens, how do we think about responsibility — and what do we owe to that complexity inside a courtroom? Episode 56 is out now. Watch the full episode here: 👋 ABOUT DR. SUZETTE GLASNER Dr. Suzette Glasner is an addiction scientist and clinical psychologist. The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast brings evidence-based conversations on addiction, recovery, and mental health to people who want the science alongside the story.📩 Questions or topic suggestions: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🔔 Subscribe for evidence-based mental health and addiction content. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

Hayden Panettiere’s memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning , is out now. Inside, she describes a postpartum crisis that millions of mothers experience — but almost no one talks about how it’s connected to addiction. In this episode, addiction scientist and clinical psychologist Dr. Suzette Glasner unpacks what postpartum depression actually is, why it co-occurs with alcohol and substance use so often (and at such high rates), who is most at risk, and what we now know works to prevent and treat both. Featuring clips from Hayden Panettiere on Good Morning America and On Purpose with Jay Shetty — plus context from Brooke Shields, Drew Barrymore, Adele, and Serena Williams. You can watch the full episode here: 🎯 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN * What postpartum depression (PPD) actually is (and what it isn’t) * Why women with substance use during pregnancy have nearly 2x the PPD rate of the general population * Why women with PPD have 3–4x higher binge drinking rates * How birth trauma multiplies postpartum mental health risk * The science behind brexanolone, zuranolone, and integrated treatment for co-occurring PPD + SUD 🆘 IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE IS STRUGGLING * Postpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773 (call or text), 24/7 * 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text) * SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) , free and confidential 👋 ABOUT DR. SUZETTE GLASNER Dr. Suzette Glasner is an addiction scientist and clinical psychologist. The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast brings evidence-based conversations on addiction, recovery, and mental health to people who want the science alongside the story. 📩 Questions or topic suggestions: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🔔 Subscribe for evidence-based mental health and addiction content. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

A 13-year-old in Sheffield asked her mother to add BuzzBallz to a New Year’s Eve shopping list last December. The mother — who runs a sobriety group for women — had never heard of them. Her daughter said, “All my friends are drinking them.” Today, BuzzBallz are a $500 million brand. The colorful, 15% ABV cocktails in plastic balls are the second-fastest-growing prepared cocktail brand in America, stocked in convenience stores, gas stations, and supermarkets nationwide. They are sweet, single-serve, cheap (under $5), and increasingly in the hands of underage drinkers. In this episode, clinical psychologist and addiction scientist Dr. Suzette Glasner explains why the design of these drinks is creating the perfect conditions for a particularly dangerous drinking practice that addiction researchers call high-intensity drinking — and what that means clinically for the teenagers and young adults consuming them. Watch the full episode here: Dr. Glasner walks through the standard-drink math first. A single 200 mL BuzzBall at 15% ABV contains roughly 1.7 standard drinks — nearly two drinks of alcohol in a single ball that looks like a piece of candy. The supersize line goes further: the “Biggies” deliver the alcohol equivalent of about 17 standard cans of beer in a single two-liter container, and the recently released “Boulders” approach 25 standard drinks in a single three-liter package. The TikTok chug challenge currently trending — where influencers drink three BuzzBallz in succession — delivers over five standard drinks rapidly, already at or above the binge drinking threshold for both women and men. She then introduces what addiction researchers call high-intensity drinking — consumption at two or more times the binge drinking threshold (8+ drinks for women, 10+ drinks for men in a single sitting).The episode then unpacks the clinical research on rapid drinking specifically. Dr. Glasner explains why drinking the same amount of alcohol quickly produces dramatically worse cognitive and motor impairment than drinking it slowly — and why this directly translates to elevated risk for impaired driving, injury, and alcohol use disorder progression. The format of BuzzBallz — colorful, sweet, easy to chug, and impossible to count accurately — actively defeats the harm-reduction strategies that work for traditional drinking. The episode closes with practical guidance: how parents can have an evidence-based conversation with a teenager about BuzzBallz, the warning signs that someone you love may be developing alcohol use disorder, and the evidence-based treatments available for adolescents and young adults. — 📋 Resources mentioned in this episode: 🔗 NIAAA’s Rethinking Drinking — standard drink sizes, low-risk drinking guidelines, and free tools to track your drinking: https://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov 🔗 NIAAA Treatment Navigator — find evidence-based alcohol treatment near you: https://alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov 🔗 Dr. Glasner’s Addiction Recovery Skills Workbook — exercises for identifying triggers and pleasurable replacement activities, available on Amazon — If you or someone you love is in crisis: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988, or visit https://988lifeline.org SAMHSA National Helpline 1-800-662-HELP — 24/7, English and Spanish — The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast brings clinical and addiction science to the mental health stories everyone is already discussing. 📩 Questions or topic suggestions: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 More: https://drglasner.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com

For most of the past decade, the conversation about phone and social media addiction has been stuck at a single question: is this real? In March, a California jury answered it. They found Meta and Google liable for designing addictive social media platforms that harmed a young user — the first time at this scale that the companies were ruled responsible for the addictive design choices baked into their products. In this episode, clinical psychologist and addiction scientist Dr. Suzette Glasner takes the question the verdicts have now opened — what do we actually do about it? — and answers it from inside the science and practice of addiction treatment. You can watch the full episode here: Phone addiction, Dr. Glasner argues, is clinically a behavioral addiction with striking similarities to drug and alcohol addiction. It is driven by the same variable reinforcement schedule that makes slot machines and methamphetamine so neurologically compelling, and the same therapeutic principles that work for substance use disorders apply directly to compulsive scrolling. She walks through evidence-based principles, drawn from the same framework she uses with patients in her private practice. Stimulus control — the family media plan, and why the bedroom and the dining room are the two highest-yield environments for restriction. Why content matters more than minutes — the role of intermittent variable reinforcement. The replacement principle — why removing the phone without replacing the reward fails, and how to match replacement activities to the specific function the phone was serving. And when self-management isn’t enough — what evidence-based treatment for behavioral addiction actually looks like, and how to recognize when phone overuse is masking depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism, body dysmorphic disorder, or trauma. She also reacts to recent public statements from Lara Trump on her household’s no-screens policy, Bill Gates on his decision not to give his own children phones until age 14, and Jonathan Haidt’s recommendations to keep screens out of bedrooms — translating each of these positions into actionable steps. — Tools mentioned in the episode: Brick (https://getbrick.com) — physical app blocker. Freedom — phone internet blocking app. Bloom — screen time tool. Further reading: Brian X. Chen, Phone Addiction Remedies , New York Times Personal Tech, April 30, 2026. Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation . Dr. Glasner’s Addiction Recovery Skills Workbook — available on Amazon. — The Dr. Suzette Glasner Podcast brings clinical and addiction science to the mental health stories everyone is already discussing. 📩 Questions or topic suggestions: AskDrGlasner@gmail.com 🧩 More: https://drglasner.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit drglasner.substack.com