Posted on 02/17/2018 11:16:06 AM PST by nickcarraway
Two packs of red and white pills lie on the ground. A toy rabbit sits out of focus.The number of children taking psychiatric medications has been rising over the last few decades. In 2014, the National Center for Health Statistics estimated 1 in 13 U.S. children between the ages of 6 and 17 takes medication. Many people believed the report was clear evidence that children are overmedicated. Yet a new study challenges that argument.
According to a study published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, children are not overprescribed psychiatric drugs. Instead, the research suggests children who need psychiatric drugs might not be getting them.
Some people are concerned about the overuse of psychiatric drugs, particularly stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall. They often cite the increase in drug use as evidence of a problem. Others argue it is possible that more children are developing psychiatric conditions. The increase in drug use could be proportional to the new need.
To analyze the issue, researchers investigated the number of children with a mental health diagnosis. Then they compared that figure to the number of children who are prescribed psychiatric drugs.
Researchers gathered data on 6,351,482 people aged 3-24 years from the IMS LifeLink LRx National Longitudinal Prescription Database. Next, they analyzed prescription rates of three drug classes: antidepressants, stimulants, and antipsychotics. The annual percentage of young people who took drugs in any of the three classes was as follows:
Ages 3-5 years: 0.8% Ages 6-12 years: 5.4% Ages 13-18 years: 7.7% Ages 19-24 years: 6.0% Next, researchers compared the known prevalence rates of various psychiatric conditions to the rate at which drugs for these conditions were prescribed. They found that prescription rates are lower than diagnosis rates. For example, about 1 in 8 teens experiences depression each year, but less than 1 in 30 were prescribed antidepressants. About 1 in 12 children have symptoms of ADHD each year, though only 1 in 20 received a stimulant prescription during the study year.
Not all children who have a psychiatric diagnosis need medication. However, the very low rates of medication use suggest children who need medication might not be receiving it.
References:
Post by former NIMH Director Thomas Insel: Are children overmedicated? (2014, June 06). NIMH. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/directors/thomas-insel/blog/2014/are-children-overmedicated.shtml#2 Sultan, R. S., Correll, C. U., Schoenbaum, M., King, M., Walkup, J. T., & Olfson, M. (2018). National patterns of commonly prescribed psychotropic medications to young people. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. doi:10.1089/cap.2017.0077
Yes.
Big Pharma asks: “Are children getting the wrong amount of drugs?”
Big Pharma answers: “Yes. They need more.”
Well, DUH!!
The dirty secret is that all psychiatric/psychological diagnoses are purely subjective—An impression formed by the “treating professional” based on description/observation of “symptoms” (see D. L. Rosenhan, On Being Sane in Insane Places). As such, one can shop around until they obtain a diagnosis and treatment plan they like.
Further, the full effects, and side effects, of many of the drugs utilized in “treatment” are unknown—Amounting to a shot in the dark in terms of effects on the “patient.”
Yep.
Great scene about that in 15:17 to Paris where the mom’s confront the teacher in a meeting.
Yes. The NEA and the modern sociologists have been teaming up to convince modern parents to use chemical babysitters to provide the poor, overworked parents and teachers from doing their damned jobs!
Raising kids is hard work, but it also interferes with parents attempting to self-actualize.
Of course they are.
Way over-prescribed.
I had a mother in my own extended family fall for the canard that because her son focused more easily on, essentially, speed, that he had ADHD that needed just such a prescription.
Probably, kids need more discipline and structure. With single parent and 2 income families people don’t have time for their children.
You hit the nail on the head. Subjective and fluid. Today’s disorder, tomorrow’s normal.
Mom can’t manage, teacher complains = disorder.
More involved Mom who makes sure of proper diet, sufficient sleep, regular schedule of homework, quiet time before sleep, school with breaks to play outside and time to move about the classroom, consistent rules and consequences = good citizen.
Doen’t work for every kid. There are actual disorders but we are asking kids to be still too young, subjugate their movement too long. We have set up schools to work for girls not for boys and our boys suffer, act out and are mown down by drugs for teacher’s convenient, Mom & Dad’s piece of mind. Even more evil is the practice of getting your child certified as needing drugs because there is a monetary benefit form welfare.
These children are being robbed of that most basic ability to know themselves and learn self control. They don’t know whether they are feeling the drugs or intrinsic emotion. Rather than dealing with their feelings they learn to look for the next drug to feel “right”.
Effects of drugs on the developing brain are worse than on the developed brain. There are already studies that children wind up on Ritalin for life because of neurotransmitter level changes and habituation. There are many studies showing life long effects on impulse control & This effects their offspring.
We have moved down the age to read past where most children are capable. Why? What race are we running?
Allowing children to work on age appropriate task would allow for a better and more sure transition into reading and decrease the stress that translates into acting out in the classroom.
Our schools have been severely disadvantaged by a couple generations who decided there was a better way to do math, a better way to read, a way that was more interesting for the teachers who could do seminars and lectures on the methods. They were wrong and our children are paying the price. It’s a slippery slope using drugs to control behavior.
https://www.thefix.com/content/research-shows-ritalin-causes-long-term-brain-injury
http://www.psypost.org/2017/07/study-ritalin-use-childhood-cause-long-lasting-alterations-neurotransmission-49241
yes
Yes, I am a National Board Certified Special Education teacher and I always recommend to parents to research other avenues instead of medications for their ADD/ADHD children.
Children and adults. How about a manager in her twenties, prescribed Xanax for around three years and about to blow?
The policies are insane. Enough already!
That was *not* a reference to me, BTW. I’m a he and have had no problems of that sort.
“other avenues instead of medications for their ADD/ADHD children.”
Like discipline? I know, disciplining children takes time and we’re the immediate gratification society now. No time for disciplining children. That takes work, not to mention actually being with the children.
Society just rents children for the weekend and nights and puts them back in their centers while we go about our busy days.
Prescription of psychotropic drugs for minors increased 800% from 1990-2000. I’m sure it has increased exponentially since then.
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