erica edwards joins us now. nd why it's so dangerous? >> reporter: yeah. it's lypoprotein-a. it causes plaque to build up in the arteries. it's more dangerous because it causes blood clots. here's the kicker. this is a genetic thing. if you were born predisposed to high levels of lpa. diet and exercise don't work to drive the levels down. >> you were just saying, it sounds like it's worse -- make sure i'm understanding. it's worse than the bad cholesterol, as we call it. do they screen for it? i think i understood they don't really screen for it. >> reporter: you're right, kate. they don't screen for it. and historically that's because there's no treatment for it. we don't have any drugs at all, to treat the levels. why put someone through this and worry about it if there's something that doctors can do. having that knowledge, a lot of doctors are saying, can really help people reduce their heart risks in other ways. i spoke with a woman in ohio. she's 51 years old. she as a strong history. if you go back five ge

erica edwards has been digging into this for us. it seems like this generation is self-medicating.e vast majority of teens surveyed here, three quarters said they were using drugs and alcohol to chill out, to become more relaxed. i want to point out that 44% used so they could sleep better and stop worrying or forget bad memories. 40% said they thought it would help with their depression or anxiety. most of the time they were using some form of marijuana. almost half reported drinking alcohol. about 20% said they used over-the-counter drugs like cough syrup or prescription strength pain relievers or sedatives. >> briefly, it seems like the substance abuse is not happening in a silo. an expert you spoke with said 75% of young people with a substance abuse disorder also have a mental health condition. what do those results tell us about interventions needed? >> yeah. that's right. experts say that substance abuse generally goes hand in hand with mental health problems. here's the takeaway for parents. if the child says i'm using drugs or whatever to combat my anxiety, even if you don