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Changemakers: Fueling empathy in the opioid epidemic

Posted at 7:00 AM, Aug 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-06 06:50:48-04

BATAVIA, Ohio -- As the opioid epidemic evolves in startling and deadlier ways, countless people have begun asking what – if anything – they can do to help.

Among them is Kayleen Schreiber, a newcomer to Southwest Ohio who just finished her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Iowa.

Schreiber is among dozens of readers who reached out to WCPO after reading the special report:Overdosed and Overrun: A state of Crisis in Ohio. 

Her question was simple: “How can I get involved?”

Turns out, the 27-year-old Batavia resident already is.

Just last month, Schreiber created an animation that explains the ways opioids change our brains and why it’s so hard for people to quit using them.

“There have been drug and addiction problems for years,” Schreiber said. “But with this epidemic, there are some people who struggle to understand why opioid addiction is different. For me, understanding why this epidemic is so bad starts by understanding what happens in the brain when people use opioids.”

The narrative in Schreiber's animation is backed by agrowing body of medical and scientific research on the way substances alter - sometimes permanently - how our brains work.

Breaking down complex scientific topics is a passion for Schreiber, who has a blogwhere she regularly posts animations that explain a host of brain-related functions. Other posts offer insight into mental health illnesses and the way our brains grow, learn and retain information.

Kayleen Schreiber

“When people better understand complex health and science related issues, they make better choices and live better lives,” she said.

RELATED: Should repeat overdosers be forced into rehab?

Schreiber says she hopes to keep making more animations that explain the complex science behind addiction and opioid use.

Her goal: Help others empathize with those battling opioid addiction, because people who care are people who help.

“People who have a more empathetic perspective for those who are struggling through this are the ones who are really the most invested in the issue and willing work on solutions,” she said.
 

BATAVIA - As the opioid epidemic evolves in startling and deadlier ways, countless people have begun asking what – if anything – they can do to help.

Among them is Kayleen Schreiber, a newcomer to Southwest Ohio who just finished her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Iowa.

Schreiber is among dozens of readers who reached out to WCPO after reading the special report:Overdosed and Overrun: A state of Crisis in Ohio. 

Her question was simple: “How can I get involved to help?”

Turns out, the 27-year-old Batavia resident already is.

Just last month, Schreiber created an animation that explains the ways opioids change our brains – and why – it’s so hard for people to quit using them.

“There have been drug and addiction problems for years,” says Schreiber. “But with this epidemic, there are some people who struggle to understand why opioid addiction is different. For me, understanding why this epidemic is so bad starts by understanding what happens in the brain when people use opioids.”

The narrative in Shreiber's animation is backed by a growing body of medical and scientific research on the way substances alter - sometimes permanently - the way our brains work.

Breaking down complex scientific topics is a passion for Schreiber, who has a blogwhere she regularly posts animations that explain a host of brain-related functions. Other posts offer insight into mental health illnesses and the way our brains grow, learn and retain information.

Kayleen Schreiber

 

“When people better understand complex health and science related issues, they make better choices and live better lives,” she said.

RELATED: Should repeat overdosers be forced into rehab?

Shreiber says she hopes to keep making more animations that explain the complex science behind addiction and opioid use.

Her goal: Help others empathize with those battling opioid addiction, because people who care are people who help.

“People who have a more empathetic perspective for those who are struggling through this are the ones who are really the most invested in the issue and willing work on solutions,” she said.
 

BATAVIA - As the opioid epidemic evolves in startling and deadlier ways, countless people have begun asking what – if anything – they can do to help.

Among them is Kayleen Schreiber, a newcomer to Southwest Ohio who just finished her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Iowa.

Schreiber is among dozens of readers who reached out to WCPO after reading the special report:Overdosed and Overrun: A state of Crisis in Ohio. 

Her question was simple: “How can I get involved to help?”

Turns out, the 27-year-old Batavia resident already is.

Just last month, Schreiber created an animation that explains the ways opioids change our brains – and why – it’s so hard for people to quit using them.

“There have been drug and addiction problems for years,” says Schreiber. “But with this epidemic, there are some people who struggle to understand why opioid addiction is different. For me, understanding why this epidemic is so bad starts by understanding what happens in the brain when people use opioids.”

The narrative in Shreiber's animation is backed by a growing body of medical and scientific research on the way substances alter - sometimes permanently - the way our brains work.

Breaking down complex scientific topics is a passion for Schreiber, who has a blogwhere she regularly posts animations that explain a host of brain-related functions. Other posts offer insight into mental health illnesses and the way our brains grow, learn and retain information.

Kayleen Schreiber

 

“When people better understand complex health and science related issues, they make better choices and live better lives,” she said.

RELATED: Should repeat overdosers be forced into rehab?

Shreiber says she hopes to keep making more animations that explain the complex science behind addiction and opioid use.

Her goal: Help others empathize with those battling opioid addiction, because people who care are people who help.

“People who have a more empathetic perspective for those who are struggling through this are the ones who are really the most invested in the issue and willing work on solutions,” she said.
 

BATAVIA - As the opioid epidemic evolves in startling and deadlier ways, countless people have begun asking what – if anything – they can do to help.

Among them is Kayleen Schreiber, a newcomer to Southwest Ohio who just finished her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Iowa.

Schreiber is among dozens of readers who reached out to WCPO after reading the special report:Overdosed and Overrun: A state of Crisis in Ohio. 

Her question was simple: “How can I get involved to help?”

Turns out, the 27-year-old Batavia resident already is.

Just last month, Schreiber created an animation that explains the ways opioids change our brains – and why – it’s so hard for people to quit using them.

“There have been drug and addiction problems for years,” says Schreiber. “But with this epidemic, there are some people who struggle to understand why opioid addiction is different. For me, understanding why this epidemic is so bad starts by understanding what happens in the brain when people use opioids.”

The narrative in Shreiber's animation is backed by a growing body of medical and scientific research on the way substances alter - sometimes permanently - the way our brains work.

Breaking down complex scientific topics is a passion for Schreiber, who has a blogwhere she regularly posts animations that explain a host of brain-related functions. Other posts offer insight into mental health illnesses and the way our brains grow, learn and retain information.

Kayleen Schreiber

 

“When people better understand complex health and science related issues, they make better choices and live better lives,” she said.

RELATED: Should repeat overdosers be forced into rehab?

Shreiber says she hopes to keep making more animations that explain the complex science behind addiction and opioid use.

Her goal: Help others empathize with those battling opioid addiction, because people who care are people who help.

“People who have a more empathetic perspective for those who are struggling through this are the ones who are really the most invested in the issue and willing work on solutions,” she said.
 

BATAVIA - As the opioid epidemic evolves in startling and deadlier ways, countless people have begun asking what – if anything – they can do to help.

Among them is Kayleen Schreiber, a newcomer to Southwest Ohio who just finished her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Iowa.

Schreiber is among dozens of readers who reached out to WCPO after reading the special report:Overdosed and Overrun: A state of Crisis in Ohio. 

Her question was simple: “How can I get involved to help?”

Turns out, the 27-year-old Batavia resident already is.

Just last month, Schreiber created an animation that explains the ways opioids change our brains – and why – it’s so hard for people to quit using them.

“There have been drug and addiction problems for years,” says Schreiber. “But with this epidemic, there are some people who struggle to understand why opioid addiction is different. For me, understanding why this epidemic is so bad starts by understanding what happens in the brain when people use opioids.”

The narrative in Shreiber's animation is backed by a growing body of medical and scientific research on the way substances alter - sometimes permanently - the way our brains work.

Breaking down complex scientific topics is a passion for Schreiber, who has a blogwhere she regularly posts animations that explain a host of brain-related functions. Other posts offer insight into mental health illnesses and the way our brains grow, learn and retain information.

Kayleen Schreiber

 

“When people better understand complex health and science related issues, they make better choices and live better lives,” she said.

RELATED: Should repeat overdosers be forced into rehab?

Shreiber says she hopes to keep making more animations that explain the complex science behind addiction and opioid use.

Her goal: Help others empathize with those battling opioid addiction, because people who care are people who help.

“People who have a more empathetic perspective for those who are struggling through this are the ones who are really the most invested in the issue and willing work on solutions,” she said.
 

BATAVIA - As the opioid epidemic evolves in startling and deadlier ways, countless people have begun asking what – if anything – they can do to help.

Among them is Kayleen Schreiber, a newcomer to Southwest Ohio who just finished her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Iowa.

Schreiber is among dozens of readers who reached out to WCPO after reading the special report:Overdosed and Overrun: A state of Crisis in Ohio. 

Her question was simple: “How can I get involved to help?”

Turns out, the 27-year-old Batavia resident already is.

Just last month, Schreiber created an animation that explains the ways opioids change our brains – and why – it’s so hard for people to quit using them.

“There have been drug and addiction problems for years,” says Schreiber. “But with this epidemic, there are some people who struggle to understand why opioid addiction is different. For me, understanding why this epidemic is so bad starts by understanding what happens in the brain when people use opioids.”

The narrative in Shreiber's animation is backed by a growing body of medical and scientific research on the way substances alter - sometimes permanently - the way our brains work.

Breaking down complex scientific topics is a passion for Schreiber, who has a blogwhere she regularly posts animations that explain a host of brain-related functions. Other posts offer insight into mental health illnesses and the way our brains grow, learn and retain information.

Kayleen Schreiber

 

“When people better understand complex health and science related issues, they make better choices and live better lives,” she said.

RELATED: Should repeat overdosers be forced into rehab?

Shreiber says she hopes to keep making more animations that explain the complex science behind addiction and opioid use.

Her goal: Help others empathize with those battling opioid addiction, because people who care are people who help.

“People who have a more empathetic perspective for those who are struggling through this are the ones who are really the most invested in the issue and willing work on solutions,” she said.
 

BATAVIA - As the opioid epidemic evolves in startling and deadlier ways, countless people have begun asking what – if anything – they can do to help.

Among them is Kayleen Schreiber, a newcomer to Southwest Ohio who just finished her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Iowa.

Schreiber is among dozens of readers who reached out to WCPO after reading the special report:Overdosed and Overrun: A state of Crisis in Ohio. 

Her question was simple: “How can I get involved to help?”

Turns out, the 27-year-old Batavia resident already is.

Just last month, Schreiber created an animation that explains the ways opioids change our brains – and why – it’s so hard for people to quit using them.

“There have been drug and addiction problems for years,” says Schreiber. “But with this epidemic, there are some people who struggle to understand why opioid addiction is different. For me, understanding why this epidemic is so bad starts by understanding what happens in the brain when people use opioids.”

The narrative in Shreiber's animation is backed by a growing body of medical and scientific research on the way substances alter - sometimes permanently - the way our brains work.

Breaking down complex scientific topics is a passion for Schreiber, who has a blogwhere she regularly posts animations that explain a host of brain-related functions. Other posts offer insight into mental health illnesses and the way our brains grow, learn and retain information.

Kayleen Schreiber

 

“When people better understand complex health and science related issues, they make better choices and live better lives,” she said.

RELATED: Should repeat overdosers be forced into rehab?

Shreiber says she hopes to keep making more animations that explain the complex science behind addiction and opioid use.

Her goal: Help others empathize with those battling opioid addiction, because people who care are people who help.

“People who have a more empathetic perspective for those who are struggling through this are the ones who are really the most invested in the issue and willing work on solutions,” she said.
 

BATAVIA - As the opioid epidemic evolves in startling and deadlier ways, countless people have begun asking what – if anything – they can do to help.

Among them is Kayleen Schreiber, a newcomer to Southwest Ohio who just finished her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Iowa.

Schreiber is among dozens of readers who reached out to WCPO after reading the special report:Overdosed and Overrun: A state of Crisis in Ohio. 

Her question was simple: “How can I get involved to help?”

Turns out, the 27-year-old Batavia resident already is.

Just last month, Schreiber created an animation that explains the ways opioids change our brains – and why – it’s so hard for people to quit using them.

“There have been drug and addiction problems for years,” says Schreiber. “But with this epidemic, there are some people who struggle to understand why opioid addiction is different. For me, understanding why this epidemic is so bad starts by understanding what happens in the brain when people use opioids.”

The narrative in Shreiber's animation is backed by a growing body of medical and scientific research on the way substances alter - sometimes permanently - the way our brains work.

Breaking down complex scientific topics is a passion for Schreiber, who has a blogwhere she regularly posts animations that explain a host of brain-related functions. Other posts offer insight into mental health illnesses and the way our brains grow, learn and retain information.

Kayleen Schreiber

 

“When people better understand complex health and science related issues, they make better choices and live better lives,” she said.

RELATED: Should repeat overdosers be forced into rehab?

Shreiber says she hopes to keep making more animations that explain the complex science behind addiction and opioid use.

Her goal: Help others empathize with those battling opioid addiction, because people who care are people who help.

“People who have a more empathetic perspective for those who are struggling through this are the ones who are really the most invested in the issue and willing work on solutions,” she said.