Children of the nation's drug crisis face long-term health effects [cbsnews.com]

Alicia Doktor 12/10/1812:00 PM

They are the youngest victims of the nation's drug crisis: children of parents with substance abuse disorders. These young people are more susceptible to long-term behavioral and mental health issues.

Twelve-year-old Annie Bourassa knows this all too well. At just 3 years old, she was removed from the care of her biological mother over alleged substance abuse and neglect. For several years she was shuttled between relatives, foster homes and stays in the hospital, surviving abuse and serious injuries from a dog bite. But then Marc Bourassa and Phyllis-Ann Morrissey welcomed young Annie into their lives.

"At first, she was hitting and lashing out verbally, and yelling and screaming," Morrissey told CBS News. The couple adopted Annie into a loving home, but the toll taken by her early childhood trauma took has been profound.

[For more on this story by CBS News, go to https://www.cbsnews.com/news/c...term-health-effects/]

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