Medicating Youth for Disorders: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks? In 2014, the number of children using psychiatric drugs totaled to be 8,389,034. These numbers included infants all the way to the prime age of seventeen. Children as young as just a few months old have been prescribed medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, autism, and oppositional defiant disorder. These conditions can be related to defiance, intense mood swings, and irrational behavior. Doctors can prescribe medications for youth that exhibit these behaviors; however, there is not a set criteria that they have to properly diagnose these issues in such young patients.While these medications can help to decrease and prevent outrageous behavior, …show more content…
Stimulants may be associated with slower rate of growth when used consistently over a period of several years. Antipsychotics are linked to rapid weight gain, metabolic issues, and endocrine abnormalities. Anti-anxiety medications can be associated with slurred speech as well as memory loss. Even with the serious side effects, doctors still defend the drugs. Margaret Greason of Tulane University states, "The rate that children are being medicated is increasing out of proportion to research showing that it's safe and effective." Over medication can cause long-term effects and affect youth as they mature and …show more content…
Advancements in the understanding of how medications affect youth have come a long way. In fact, a considerable expansion has occured in research to evaluate the efficiancy and safety of medications in children. There has been a slight increase in medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pediatric use, including those for the treatment of depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism-related behavioral problems. Publicly funded studies have done private research as to how these medications are beneficial in the treatment of disorders in children. Similarly, some psychotropic drugs have a well-balanced effect on a child. Drugs used to treat anxiety can help to control some psychotic and manic symptoms in some youth. Theresa Newfield of Massachusetts, is a mother to a child who was diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder at the early age of three. She states, "My son use to be a ticking time bomb, he'd find a screwdriver and poke a hole in the screen door, then stuff a toy down the toilet in a matter of minutes." She claims that with the use of both a stimulant and depressant, her child can actually focus and reply to a question with a sensible
Medications are also the fastest way for parents to see results in their unruly child. Ever
Bipolar disorder can strike at any age but most commonly strikes at age 18 in bipolar I; for bipolar II disorder, the age is 22 (Durand and Barlow 189). It has also been found that children can be seen with bipolar disorder early on. This is not very prevalent, and is only one in every 200 cases. This is thought to occur because many children with manic depression might have been misdiagnosed or just thought of as hyperactive and disruptive. The early symptoms of childhood bipolar disorder, distractibility, irritability, and hyperactivity are also the signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)(Harvard Mental Health Letter, March 1997). It is mainly for this reason that many cases might be misdiagnosed as ADHD and the prevalence of bipolar disorder in children could be much higher.
antidepressants among US youths. Pediatrics, 109 (5), 721-727. Retrieved via Academic Search Primer on 3/25/04. http://web3.epnet.com
There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the issue of children being medicated with powerful psychotropic medications. Psychological disorders, such as bipolar disorder, that were once believed only to effect adults, are now being diagnosed in children, and those children are, more often than not, now being treated with medications. The number of children being diagnosed and treated with psychotropic medications has rapidly increased in recent years. A report issued by Medco Health Solutions in 2010 states that the number of children being prescribed psychotropic medications doubled from 2001 to 2010. Psychotropic medications can be defined as "any medication capable of affecting the mind, emotions, and behavior"(medicine net). The classes of psychotropic medications are; Stimulants, such as Adderall- prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Antidepressants, such as Prozac- prescribed for depression, Anti-psychotics such as Haldol - prescribed for behavioral disorders, and Mood Stabilizers, such as Depakote - prescribed for bipolar disorders. These medications have been shown to "stunt growth, cause obsessive behaviors, suppress spontaneity, and cause children to become depressed and less social"(Breggin, 2009). This paper will discuss what research suggests about the potentially negative effects of these medications on a child’s physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development. In addition, this paper will also examine the potential reasons these medications are increasingly prescribed, and alternative treatments for some of the psychological disorders that these kinds of medications are prescribed for.
The use of psychotropic medication in children and adolescents dates back to 1937 when Charles Bradley conducted a study by prescribing the stimulant amphetamine sulphate (Benzedrine) to modify the behavior of children with severe behavioral disturbance. (Adams, 1991) Since these studies were conducted, more and more children and adolescents have been prescribed stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers for various mental disorders, such as: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The potential side effects that happen to children taking these medications can include: fainting, blurred vision, vomiting, extreme weight gain, and even death ("Seroquel information,” n.d.).
Drugs used to help mental illnesses; however, they aren’t always the easiest to deal with. With new drugs being discovered each year, they each will have many side-effects that may not be known to the world. Just remember that there are other options when dealing with children with mental illnesses, than medication such as Xanax, Zyprexa, Lexapro, Adderall, and Dexedrine. It may not be best to use the “easy-way-out” when handling a young child with a mental illness. With prescribing medications to children, they may ruin the child’s life, by causing life-changing effects to happen to child’s body. There is no sense of using medications unless it is absolutely necessary, like when the child is sick with the flu or has a sinus infection. Choose another pathway for your child to cope with their mental illness.
In the film we watched in class The Medicated Child we saw several children who had been diagnosed with various psychiatric illnesses and were placed on various, often a large number of different, medications that effect their brain, mood a lot of other things. One of the doctors in the film even admitted it was a guessing game. In my opinion until your brain is done developing you shouldn’t be trying to change it. The only reason the kids had access to psychiatrist and could be placed on all the drugs were because their parents, or parents’ insurance could pay for it. As we learned in the article by Busfield the pharmaceutical companies are in it to make money if they couldn’t afford the doctors or the pills I personally think at least two thirds of those kids would have been better
Waters, Rob. “Antidepressants May Cause Suicide and Violent Behavior in Children and Teenagers.” Treating the Mentally Ill. Ed. Kyla Stinnett, San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Web. 28 Jan. 2014
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most widely diagnosed “mental-illness” in children in the United States today, and approximately 99% of children diagnosed are prescribed daily doses of methylphenidate in order to control undesirable behaviors. (Stolzer)
According to the FDA, about 2.5% of children and around 8% of adolescents are affected by depression (Temple). A common way to treat depression is by taking antidepressants. Children and teens have also been prescribed antidepressants for various reasons other than depression such as OCD and anxiety disorders. While it is legal for teenagers and children to take antidepressants, many people are concerned with the issues that taking antidepressants have. Children and teens should be allowed to take antidepressants only when other forms of therapy don’t work. Antidepressants are serious drugs that have severe warnings when children and teens use them. There is also an increased risk of worsening depression and suicide in children and teens, especially in the when they begin to take it. Even the less severe side effects can make quite a negative impact on life.
Every day, doctors are diagnosing kids with ADHD. A diagnosis can come as early as four years old. Doctors evaluate the patient. They also read reports from teachers and or coaches, along with talking with the child’s parents. Typical symptoms of ADHD include: “being in constant motion, squirming and fidgeting, making careless mistakes, not wanting to listen, being easily distracted, losing things, and making careless mistakes” (WebMD, 2014). If a child is diagnosed with ADHD, they may be put on a typical ADHD drug. Medicines that are used to t...
According to Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco’s chief medical officer, seventeen percent of total drug cost spending last year was for behavior medicines; compared with sixteen percent for both asthma and antibiotics, eleven percent for skin disorders and six percent for allergy medicines. There was also a 369% increase in spending on ADHD drugs for kids under the age of five. A lot of children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and many of their parents have opted to give them behavioral drugs. Some parents give the drugs because they are not aware of the long term effects or the psychological dependency, and lastly because they are not aware of the alternatives. As parents we have to be more cognizant of what these disorders are and how they affect the child. Drugs are not always the only solution.
Walkup, J. T. (2012, January 26). Best Medications for Kids With Anxiety . Best Medications
This could lead to hallucinations, paranoid delusions, and obsessions. (Amphetamine) Examples of amphetamines include adderall, benzidrine, and dexedrine. Students often abuse prescriptions for adderall as a study tool. I’ve known students at my previous school in Miami take adderall during every exam when they weren’t even prescribed it, which is a perfect example of amphetamine abuse. I’ve even heard of students becoming addicted to such drugs.
Children, like any other age group, have their numbers steadily increasing with time. They too face the same issues as adults and need an intervention to help them recover. Children have the right to be prevented from mental health complications and the families and health systems should work together to enhance that. Enhanced systems should be able to detect such conditions early enough and provide interventions that solve the problem in the long run. Efficient detection systems can also help establish causes of mental issues among children and provide an opportunity for preventive health approaches.