Anti-psychotic drugs and children

[Soldier4Christ]

Similar U.K. and U.S. studies on the use of anti-psychotics on children are raising questions about whether youth from both countries are being over-treated.

The U.K. study, published in the medical journal Pediatrics, showed a 75 percent increase in the amount of children being prescribed anti-psychotics over a 13-year span. In a similar American study using statistics from 1996-2001, the amount of children prescribed anti-psychotics increased 95 percent.
 
Anti-psychotic drugs are used to treat autism, hyperactivity, and other behavior disorders, but experts have suggested the drugs are being overused in both countries. And they have raised warning flags over side effects, which include weight gain, irritability, and even heart trouble.
 
Christian psychiatrist Dr. Karl Benzio of the Lighthouse Network says there is a middle ground that recognizes both realities -- namely that anti-psychotics have vastly improved in effectiveness since the late 1980s, and that their use is less restricted in the U.S. whereas the U.K.'s universal healthcare system limits their use.
 
Benzio argues that there are appropriate circumstances to prescribe these types of drugs to children. But "on the flip side," he says, "you have situations where just because a person or a kid in second grade pushes another kid on the playground, they're labeled with a behavioral problem and they're put on a medication."
 
Because the long-term effects of the newer medications on children are not completely known, Benzio believes prescriptions should be monitored and should not be administered prematurely. But he believes there are definite benefits toward optimizing patients' lives as God intended.

[Soldier4Christ]

I agree with Dr. Karl Benzio on this. All too often I have seen children medicated for behavioral problems instead of correcting the problems that caused that behavior in the first place ... usually lack of teachings that the child should have received in the first place. I am not pointing any fingers at any particular place here. It is a shared responsibility in todays society. Laws that prevent parents from disciplining children, the lack of teaching good Biblical morals and behavior and parents that are "to busy" to even know what their children are doing and are either afraid to impose specific discipline or believe that they need to be a friend to their child instead of a parent. Children are often taught that they are nothing more than an animal and that anything is acceptable as a result. There are very little if any consequences to pay for bad behavior. A various number of these problems exist (not always all of them) and the result is children that mis-behave.

[nChrist]

I agree with Dr. Karl Benzio on this. All too often I have seen children medicated for behavioral problems instead of correcting the problems that caused that behavior in the first place ... usually lack of teachings that the child should have received in the first place. I am not pointing any fingers at any particular place here. It is a shared responsibility in todays society. Laws that prevent parents from disciplining children, the lack of teaching good Biblical morals and behavior and parents that are "to busy" to even know what their children are doing and are either afraid to impose specific discipline or believe that they need to be a friend to their child instead of a parent. Children are often taught that they are nothing more than an animal and that anything is acceptable as a result. There are very little if any consequences to pay for bad behavior. A various number of these problems exist (not always all of them) and the result is children that mis-behave.

AMEN BROTHER!

I know that you just spoke volumes. There is no replacement for loving parents who bring their children up in the ways of the LORD. Throwing more drugs at this problem is just a temporary and poor band-aid for the problems. The problems will return when the child gets older or stops taking the drug, so the child is many times a victim in this quick fix.

I know there are cases where administering various drugs is appropriate and RIGHT. However, a large percentage of cases are the fault of "drive-thru" parents who are not fulfilling their obligations to their children. Children don't raise themselves, and children also DESERVE love and attention from their parents. Studies of troubled teens indicate that a sense of belonging and love are the main reasons for joining street gangs. It shouldn't take much imagination to know what kind of love and attention these troubled teens received at home for many years. Beating and abuse is certainly not the only kind of child neglect.