Children, Adolescents & Psychotropic Medication Essays

Drug overdose from medications designed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are on the rise. This is likely due to an overwhelming amount of children, nearly 3 million, prescribed medication for ADHD each year (Spiller, Hays, & Aleguas, 2013). ADHD affects nearly 10% of the national population and is rising due to newer diagnostic criteria (Levine, et al., 2013). In the past, ADHD was only diagnosed in school aged children, but new studies suggest that diagnosis can be made in the preschool age as well (Levine, et al., 2013). Because of the new age criteria affecting more young children, the number of prescription of ADHD drugs will rise each year which will increase the amount of ADHD prescription overdose (Adis, 2014).

Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent’s medicine chest to ‘score.’ Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugs to fulfill different needs other than to feel good or escape the pressures of adulthood. Teens may be just as likely to resort to drugs with ‘speedy’ side effects, like Ritalin to help them study longer, as they are to use prescription

There are several implications to possible solutions because previous research involving the use of pharmacotherapy with adolescents did not show a satisfactory ratio between potential benefits and risks caused by the treatment (Kaminer and Marsch 164). However, Kaminer and Marsch suggest investigating new substances that could be used to complement the behavioral therapy of adolescents who suffer from drug abuse because it could increase the success rates of treatments (180). Although ethical principles must regulate research and treatments of adolescents who suffer from drug abuse, Kaminer and Marsch suggest using the same therapeutic approach for pharmacotherapy among adults because adolescents could potentially benefit from the same approach while keeping risks at the minimum (180).

Although we tend to think that drugs are here to comfort and heal people, we must also take into account that behind every drug, we have a drug company that is making millions of dollars off of consumers who by their products. Behind every consumer, we have a doctor that is recommending and prescribing the medication. In “The Medicated Child,” we learn that the researchers who advocate the use of psychiatric medications, receive enormous support from drug companies. Firsthand doctors inform us that theses drug industry funded studies influence their decisions on what drugs to “push” or prescribe. This is a major conflict of interest because the decisions and results of the studies are

Special attention should be giving to understanding informed consent and any challenges that may be presented and prescribing ethically medications to special populations such as children. According to the Gerald Tietz of the Washington law review (1986), indicates that it is well within a practitioner’s scope of duty to inform the patient of significant effects were injuries that may be related to the prescribing of any particular pharmacological treatment. This informed consent should be expanded to include the harms were dangerous presented also with non-use of additional treatment interventions such as therapy or CBT. Additional trends identified in ambulance pediatrics (Cooper, Arbogast & Ding, 2006), or the trends and the prescription of antipsychotic medications for children in the United States of America. The information taken from the national ambulatory medical care survey in regards to the US population indicated that between 1995 and 2002 there were nearly 6,000,000 visits to health providers by children in the US that had been subscribed or prescribed antipsychotic medications. Nearly 1/3 of the prescriptions for lease populations were provided by non-mental health service professionals. The study of the department of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville also indicated that over half of the prescriptions for these children were given based on behavioral indications or affective disorders which find a way

Today’s children in America have become a primary source of pharmaceutical financial gain. Up until the 1990’s children who were restless just needed physical activity, and children who were not paying attention in class were daydreaming. Presently, however, these same children are being diagnosed with ADD or Depression. They are being treated for these imagined ill-states of mental health with medicine that they do not need. More children today suffer from the side effects of the medication more so than the ‘condition’ itself. A few things to consider before allowing a child to be prescribed behavioral medication are ensuring a true diagnosis, exploring safe non-drug alternatives, and knowing the risks of behavioral medication for our children.

Antidepressant drugs taken by children have been linked to increased risk of suicide. Exasperated mental health professionals began prescribing antidepressants to children and teens in large proportions in the 1990’s, even though studied safety of such drugs for use in minors had not been conducted. Consequently, standard growth models and brain development may be impaired by the use of these drugs. Moreover, children may be risking one evil for another as adult years could prove to hold adverse side effects and health risks from prolonged use of these drugs.

Depression is defined as a mental illness in which a person is experiencing deep sadness and loneliness. It is known as one of the most common mental illnesses and it affects all kinds of people, regardless of sex, age and religion. Many people are not aware that depression is not only diagnosed in adults, but in children and adolescents as well. Therefore, there is a debate about whether children suffering from depression should be allowed to take antidepressants. Antidepressant drugs should be prescribed for children suffering from depression under the conditions of doctors limiting the medication, including therapy and having the parents informed/educated.

There are many medications that affect children’s health in today’s society. Doctors prescribe lots of medication which can be avoided, when children are properly diagnosed with certain health problems. Attention - deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has impacted many people with the danger of certain medications which is overprescribed to all ages each year. The hidden dangers of the medications these doctors are prescribing, is that our children are being misdiagnosed with ADHD at a very early age, and this is causing many different side effects. Long term use of these medications can cause severe side effects. The most commonly prescribed drugs, are Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta, which cause children to have nervousness, appetite suppression, insomnia and increased blood pressure and heart problems. Also pharmaceutical companies are well aware of the danger to children and adults that these drugs may cause.

For me as a former worker in the medical field, who is coming from the other part of the world, the predilection for medicament over usage in the U.S. was always surprising. Therefore, I was expecting to see in this video issues about psycho-neurological side effects of overmedicated in somatically ill child.

Although there are some reasons for children to take medications for their health, they should not be treated with antidepressants for many reasons. Many remember the trend in the 1960s and 1970s that inspired the film Valley of the Dolls. Housewives were taking Valium as if it were candy. Today, things have changed. The Antidrug commercials urge parents to get help and their children off drugs too. At the same time, parents are on the other hand urged to keep their children in check. In this pill popping society, children who misbehave are no longer tolerated. There is no more "boys will be boys" mentality anymore and children who misbehave and are disruptive are often recommended Ritalin or some other drug to make the Teachers day a bit

Even though antidepressants serve as a temporary relief for teens with depression, they should not be considered an effective treatment to cure depression due to the side effects, risk of addiction, and increase thoughts of suicide. “Teen depression is a serious condition that affects emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Issues such as peer pressure, academic expectations, and changing bodies can bring a lot of ups and downs for teens” (Mayo Clinic). Depression does not discriminate; no matter what race, gender, or religion, depression can turn a person’s life upside down if they do not handle it correctly. “Depression usually starts between the ages of fifteen and thirty” (WebMD). Teen depression may be more common among members of a family

Thesis: Today there is a great debate concerning the diagnosis and treatment of ADD/ADHD and who has the right to decide what happens.

There are many different types of medications and each of them have different side effects. There was a study conducted on a couple of ADHD medication that are given to children of ages three and under because it was causing serious cardiovascular side effects such as unexpected cardiac arrest, strokes, and acute myocardial infractions which is the medical term for heart attacks (Cooper149). Another study was conducted on children between the ages of two and eleven years old on another medication that was causing several types of hemorrhages that rush blood out due to a ruptured vessel (149). Another side effect was cerebral oedema which is swelling in the brain that is caused by disproportionate amounts of fluids (150). The United States Food and drug Administration made the companies that produce these medications put a different label that would stand out more in order to warn consumers about the risks that these medications may cause (149). Not only was The FDA able to change the labels here in the US but they managed to do it around the world so other consumers may know the severe side effects (149).

While parents have their kids engaged into the drug treatment they should be aware of the long term effects on the kids. We have to take into consideration that your brain isn’t fully developed until you are twenty six years old, but we are giving these drugs to kids as young as