Second Opinion: Drug Overdose

Credit: Nic Minetor

Only two months since their son Patrick died of a heroin overdose, Mary and Joe Mullin courageously share their story with viewers. They tell their very personal experience of Patrick’s decline into opioid use, and then heroin addiction and treatment. They talk about Patrick’s ups and downs, and his relapses. The panel of experts discusses the drug epidemic in the U.S., and offer solid, timely information about prevention and treatment. 

Second Opinion: Drug Overdose airs Thursday, January 25, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Produced by WXXI, in partnership with the University of Rochester Medical Center and West 175 Productions, Second Opinion focuses on health literacy in an engaging, entertaining, and accessible way. A patient story provides the backbone of each episode as host Dr. Peter Salgo leads a panel of medical experts through the twists and turns of one patient's real-life medical mystery. New this season, Second Opinion introduces each patient in their own home environment to provide a personal look at the circumstances surrounding their medical condition. To help deepen the very human, personal storytelling, the patient later meets a panel of experts in the studio, before a live studio audience, to continue the discussion.

Also new this season are special field segments, “Medical Innovations,” that feature doctors and researchers who are doing cutting-edge work in areas of diagnostics, treatment, and surgery. To close each episode, the patient shares their advice from home, a personal message to help people dealing with the disease or condition.

The series, now in its 14th season, hosts a comprehensive web site, SecondOpinion-tv.org, where visitors can watch full episodes of the series and access medical information through searchable video, resources, and transcripts. Viewers can follow Second Opinion on Twitter at: @SecondOpinionTV and on Facebook at: facebook.com/secondopiniontv.