Prescription Medication of Children
Four years ago, a 4 year-old child died from an overdose of legally prescribed medications. Rebecca Riley was 2 1/2 years old when she was diagnosed, after a half hour psychiatric evaluation, with ADHD and Bipolar Disorder. This diagnosis was based off of the little girl seeing monsters at night. Yeah, a 2 1/2 year-old saw monsters and was put on heavy-duty medication. She was put on a cocktail of Clonodine, Depakote and Seroquel. Tufts-New England Medical Center (the employer of the psychiatrist) stands behind their employee, saying the care Rebecca received “was appropriate and within responsible professional standards”.
The most distressing part about this is that the parents seem to have sought these drugs out in order to quiet Rebecca. There was no pressure from any day care or school to have Rebecca put on these drugs. Her first therapist said her behavior was exemplary. The parents had put their two older children on a similar cocktail in order to keep them manageable.
Since the advent of the television age, parents have used the TV as an electronic babysitter. These two unhinged individuals took it even further. Unfortunately, this seems to be the trend over the last generation. A study published by the Archives of General Psychiatry showed that the percentage of children ages 6 to 11, that had been diagnosed with ADHD, jumped 500%, from nearly 3% to over 15%. The study covered the years 1990 to 2000. The raw number of antidepressant prescriptions given to children has also gone up 500% over a similar time. We are creating a generation of addicts that are going to look to a pill bottle as a solution to life.
Tags: Prescription Detox
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