IMHO the psychiatric overmedication of children could become the next issue about 10 years from now where we look back and think WTF were we doing?
I rant about this from time to time but just because some kid is not getting straight As & not on the fast road to Harvard, doesn't necessitate medication. This example is an extreme but it clarifies my point. Some parents, guardians & teachers are looking to a pill to solve their problems, & some doctors are too willing to give in to a parents' demands.
In defense of the doctors, you really can't go by much more than the parents. Oh yes, you could have them fill out one of those ADHD questionaires, also give it to the teachers, but often times they too want the kid medicated.
Often times I've speculated if the parents & teachers, wanting the medicate the child intentionally exagerates the results of those questionaires because it'll tip the liklihood that a doc will medicate the child. An unfortunate incident happened to a friend of mine where a teacher diagnoised a child with ADHD & demanded the child be medicated. Turned out that teacher was wrong & well out of her authority & expertise to diagnose & reccomend a med.
The doc often time cannot rely on the kid. Almost every kid I've seen, when they walk into that doctor's office, they freeze up. They don't know if they need a medication.
My own reccomendation is for a mental health specialist to monitor the child in the home environment for 3 days, or for that child to be on some type of camera surveillance for several days straight, and from that surveillance, have to provide objective data to support a dx that warrants medication. Then after the medication starts, more surveillance to see if the med actually causes improvement. As far as I know there is no avenue in managed care that covers this. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,261345,00.html
Rebecca _ who had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity and bipolar disorder, or what used to be called manic depression _ died Dec. 13 of an overdose of prescribed drugs, and her parents have been arrested on murder charges, accused of intentionally overmedicating their daughter to keep her quiet and out of their hair.
This was an unfortunate case where a 2 year old child was diagnosed with ADHD & Bipolar. She eventually died from her meds at age 4. I still don't know any justification to dx a child at age 2 with those disorders. (anyone care to enlighten me? I'm all ears.)
And yes, I do believe ADHD exists & that there is a place for psyche meds in children. Just that children shouldn't be given meds just because the parents want it.
