Home » Medical Articles » Legal, Widespread, and Dangerous: Drugging Kids in Foster Care
Legal, Widespread, and Dangerous: Drugging Kids in Foster Care
Years ago, rubbing a little brandy on the gums of a teething child was thought to soothe and do no lasting harm. Parents of today who disapprove should be aware of just how often children are prescribed powerful, mind-altering medicines.
FLUSHING, NY, December 30, 2011 /Medical PR News/ -- Years ago, rubbing a little brandy on the gums of a teething child was thought to soothe and do no lasting harm. Parents of today who disapprove should be aware of just how often children are prescribed powerful, mind-altering medicines. In the United States, use of psychotropic drugs in age groups 0-19 significantly exceeds that of Western Europe, with triple the use of stimulants and anti-depressants. Youths in foster care consume these drugs at even higher rates. According to a recent five-state study of children in Medicaid, foster children were 2.7 to 4.5 times more likely than nonfoster children to be prescribed psychotropic medications? This includes infants less than one year, for whom these drugs have serious risks and no established use. Increased intake of potent, anti-psychotic drugs by children raises the potential for short and long-term side-effects. Further, we know nothing about how these substances affect the growth, development, and immature neurological systems of the young.
Foster children are twice-vulnerable. Removed abusive or neglectful homes, they risk maltreatment by the very systems charged with protecting them. According to one Baltimore study, rates of sexual abuse in foster care are four times higher than in the general population. In Oregon and Washington, nearly one-third of foster children were physically abused by foster parents or other adults in the home. New York City's Administration for Children's Services recently settled a class action lawsuit claiming it had needlessly warehoused foster children in psychiatric hospitals for prolonged periods of time. But one of the more appalling cases of foster child maltreatment involved an infant, a substance abusing caretaker, and a doctor with a liberal inclination to dispense drug prescriptions. Baby S. received her first dose of Phenobarbital at six months. The foster mother's quest for more prescriptions led her and Baby S. to a local, highly compliant pediatrician. By age three, the child had ingested Xanax, Prozac, chloral hydrate, more Phenobarbital, and three other psychotropic drugs. By age four, Baby S. Was so severely brain-damaged she was confined to a 24-hour care facility.
Risks of psychotropic drug use in infants vastly outweigh its benefits. Further, for children of any age, concomitant use of five or more such medications is unjustifiably hazardous. Yet, such practices occur in foster care, with significant gaps in state oversight. As reported in the multi-state study mentioned earlier, collaboration is lacking among state agencies, professionals, and foster care providers. Preventing another Baby S. tragedy requires intelligent, consistent guidelines as to maximum recommended dosages, infant psychotropic drug use, and concomitant use of two or more such medications in all children.
In general, foster children have a greater array of emotional and behavioral problems than nonfoster children. Perhaps due to trauma produced by abuse and neglect, foster children are 15 times more likely to be diagnosed with mental disorders than children receiving Medicaid in the general population. To manage multiple, often severe symptoms, psychotropic drugs can be specifically targeted to improve concentration, promote clearer thinking, regulate emotions, and control aggressive outbursts. But medications can also further impair a child's mental health condition and interfere with proper treatment. An inadequate understanding of the underlying emotional trauma leads to misdiagnosis and the administering of drugs that manage certain behaviors without therapeutically addressing them. In the absence of supportive therapies, medication alone will not promote healing, stabilization of emotions, and healthy growth.
In addition to strong state monitoring, judges and legal advocates can also participate in ensuring that these medications are prescribed and administered appropriately. Among the questions they should ask when considering a foster child's best interests are the need for the medication and its possible side effects, the evidence supporting the use of such medication in children, what practices exist for regularly supervising and evaluating use by particular children, and what other interventions may be needed to address the child's mental, emotional and behavioral issues. Inflicting lifelong consequences on the young by improperly drugging them is not just irresponsible or unprofessional. It is child abuse.
This article was written by Ruth C. Stern on behalf of the New York Personal Injury Attorneys at The Orlow Firm.
Orlow, Orlow & Orlow are New York Injury Lawyers located at 7118 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11367. Contact the firm at 212-203-4053 or at http://www.orlowlaw.com.
---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com |
|
|
Press Release Contact Information:
Steve Orlow
The Orlow Firm
Attorney at Law
7118 Main Street
Flushing, NY
USA 11367
Voice: 212-203-4053
Website: Visit Our Website |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertise With Us |
About Us |
Contact Us