Newcomer Monty Lapica makes an assured debut on both sides of the camera in "Self-Medicated," a lightly fictionalized account of his drug-abusing high school years and attempted rehabilitation at a controversial treatment center. There's a palpable element of honesty in Lapica's writing and lead performance that gives this indie production, which received its world premiere at the recent CineVegas Film Festival, the edge over other troubled teen dramas. No longer able to handle the Las Vegas teenager's violent outbursts and increasingly unpredictable behavior, Drew's mother (effectively played by Diane Venora), herself in denial about her addiction to prescription drugs, takes drastic measures and has him snatched right out of his bed in the middle of the night by attendants from a lock-down treatment facility.

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