Running Header: Overmedicating Our Children

Overmedicating Our Children Paula Gallimore Widener University

Overmedicating Our Children

One in five children in the United States suffers from a mental disorder which left untreated leads to a lifetime of difficulty in their development, education and ultimate productivity in society at large. Many foster children suffer from a higher rate of behavioral and mental health concerns, often because they have experienced tremendous trauma and domestic violence that contribute to these issues. I believe that every child is precious and has a right to a decent life regardless of their personal circumstances. Children dont ask to be born nor are they responsible for the deficiencies of their parents. So many children are born into poverty, neglect and abuse. Some are rescued from the tragedy of their lives and supported collectively by the social welfare system that exist in this country. These vulnerable souls deserve to be safe, have proper housing, education, food, clothing and adequate healthcare. Adults, be they kin or appointed by the State need always to consider whats in the best interests of the child when charged with the care of this vulnerable group. I believe that every child is entitled to appropriate medical care for any health concerns they may present with, be it physical or mental. In normal family settings, parents retain the right to act in their childs best interest because of their ability to make rational decisions on behalf of their children. When parents give medication to their children, they are usually very cognisant of the childs behavior and needs, and therefore can monitor for any side effects. The parent act in the childs best interest which ensures protection of the childs health and safety. For foster children, the face of care becomes the state appointed foster parent and the childs caseworker when the parent is no longer able to act in this capacity. However, the state foster care systems may not always act in a childs best interest. The major challenges facing state foster care systems, including finite resources, high turnovers, limited training or experience, and overcrowded foster care facilities, put into question whether the state can actually act in a

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childs best interest at all times (Cummings, 2011, p.16). I was raised in an environment where children were to be seen and not heard. Where basically a child had no voice in anything that pertained to them. They were meant to put up and shut up about things that affected them, as though they had no feelings about their own existence. I see this attitude being taunted in the Family Court system. Children of divorce, though they present the impetus for most high conflict struggles, are rarely given a voice in the decisions that will alter their lives. There are other situations where children with behavioral problems in public schools are forced to submit to taking medication to stay in school against their will. The problem of foster care children being forced to consume whooping amounts of mind altering psychotropic cocktails to control their behavior is shocking. I believe that children have a right to be heard when they voice their opinions on their own behalf. In April of 2011, the Obama administration announced that it would take action to address the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by reducing the rate of abuse of these drugs by 15 percent, within five years. Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States, killing more people than car crashes. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have characterized prescription drug abuse as a public health epidemic with more than 7,000 people 12 years and older using a controlled substance pharmaceutical drug for non-medical purposes every day. This problem affects individuals from all walks of life, without regard for age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, employment level, or region (Moro, 2011). This is good news, for among these high percentages of users are children in the foster care system who would prefer to not be part of the problem.

Overmedicating Our Children

A recent study by the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute found that over that past decade the use of psychotropic medications for children between the ages of 2 and 21 has risen significantly. Psychotropic medications are used to treat behavioral and mental health issues. While the figure for kids in foster care ranged anywhere from 13 to 52 percent, during the same period, a mere 4 percent of the general youth population was prescribed similar medications. (Tufts, 2010) This study colloborates the findings of similar studies conducted in Texas (Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, 2010) and Georgia (Georgia Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children, 2011) during the same time period. In a 20/20 year long investigation into the use of mind-altering drugs on foster children, Diane Sawyers highlighted a sea of faces of young foster kids consuming a cocktail of psychotropic drugs, the names of which they shouldnt even know how to pronounce. The problem drew national attention when, Gabriel Myers, a seven year old foster child committed suicide. For the next month, Gabriel was moved from home to home, therapist to therapist and soon started acting out. Gabriel was assigned a psychiatrist who he visited seven times, each time leaving with a cocktail of prescription psychotropic drugs. One day, he locked himself in the bathroom of his foster home and hung himself with the shower hose. Though his death was ruled an accident, investigators point to the the possibility that the drugs he was taking played a role in this death (Sawyer, 2010). Time and financial constraints placed on care-givers of foster children and a lack of access to qualified social and medical professionals may be reasonable excuses as to why so many of these kids are being overmedicated. However, it seems likely that many of these inappropriate prescriptions are written for the sake of convenience. Chemically restraining children provides a quick fix for these problem children because foster parents, administering

Overmedicating Our Children

physicians, and caseworkers know that Medicaid will pay the costs for these drugs rather than
more time consuming, therapy based treatment programs .

States cannot recruit and retain social workers to match the growing need of the foster care system because of poor working conditions, heavy demands, and low salaries, so protection from misdiagnosis and the side-effects of psychotropic medication is lacking. This hinders the consistent and long-term monitoring necessary for children taking psychotropic medication. Also, most caseworkers lack the training necessary to handle children with developmental needs, so many may agree to place a child on psychotropic medication without being fully aware of the potential risks (Cummings, 2011, p.18). States are unable to recruit, train and retain good foster parents who can consistently monitor children and ensure that psychotropic medications are being administered appropriately. Not enough caseworkers means insufficient training and support is provided to foster parents, many of whom quit after the first year in frustration (Cummings, 2011, p.20). For many children this results in unstable living arrangements with one or more disruption in their foster home placement. Accurate information is not regularly compiled regarding the type and number of medications being prescribed to individual children, and what little information is available may not transfer with the child as he moves around. This is problematic especially if he crosses state lines. So doctor write prescriptions without having the childs full medical history and often times without proper consent. Foster children do not enter a single foster care system but enter multiple systems that intersect with one another. The system is meant to create a safety net for children through intersecting and interacting to ensure that the childs needs are met. Unfortunately, these agencies generally fail to communicate with one another or share information they have pertaining to the

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child (Cummings, 2011, p.23). There needs to be a universal approach applied to address this issue. The foster care system extends across the United States and this problem of overmedication touches foster children all over the country. Guidelines should be created at the local level to meet the challenges pertinent to that region and there needs to also be national legislations that will ensure adherence to these recommendations. A successful system would be one that promotes recognition of the problem; maximizes tracking of medical records and data collection; promotes communication and collaborates the efforts between the various organizations and stakeholders involved in care; creates systems of oversight and secondary review of consent; trains and educates about the issue and how to make proper judgments; and gathers input from all those involved in the childs development including the childs foster parents, biological parents, as well as the children themselves. Furthermore, each system can only succeed if there is a national approach to the problem. (Cummings, 2011, p.32). It is appalling that foster children are arbitarily tagged with mental disorders and treated with psychotropic drugs that may be stealing their health and in many cases their lives. Thess medications are being used as the option of first resort without the children being properly evaluated. Given the unusual stresses and constant upheaval that these children experience, it would seem more appropriate for them to have counseling or psychotherapy followed by medication only if and when it was deemed necessary. Counseling would give them an safe outlet to express their feelings particularly with respect to how they would like to be treated. Foster children have so much working against them. They do not need to be sedated into submission. They really only need to be loved and properly cared for in the hope that they can heal from the hardships they have had to endure in their short lives. This society at large needs to be more vigilant about looking out for what is in the best interest of these vulnerable children.

Overmedicating Our Children

References Cummings, Matthew M. (2011) Sedating Forgotten Children: How Foster Childrens Rights & Health are Abused Through Unnecessary Psychotropic Drugs. Boston College Third World Law Journal, 1, 1-37. Moro E. (2011). Prescription Drug Abuse A Growing Problem, White House Says. Retrieved from http://cnsnews.com/news/article/prescription-drug-abuse-growing-problem-white-housesays Georgia Supreme Court Committee on Justice for Children. (2011). Psychotropic Meds for Georgia Youth in Foster Care: Who Decides? Georgia:U.S. Retrieved from Sawyer, D. & Alfonsi, S. (Producers). (2010). Generation Meds [Television series]. New York:: ABC Television Network. Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. (2010). Texas Psychotropic Medication Utilization Parameters for Foster Children. Texas: U.S. Retrieved from http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/documents/about/pdf/TxFosterCareParameters-December2010.pdf Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute.(2010). Multi-State Study on Psychotropic Medication Oversight in Foster Care. Boston. MA: L. Leslie at al.