Pre-schoolers are being diagnosed with mental illnesses at an alarming rate. Because of these types of diagnoses, they are being prescribed anti-psychotic medications. Most of the medications being prescribed to children are made for adults. The doctors who prescribe these medications do not know the affects that the medications will have on the developing brain of a toddler, yet they still prescribe such medications. The youtube video tells the story of a seven year old little boy who has been showing signs of psychosis since he was a couple months old according to his adoptive parents. His biological father was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder so the young boy was thought to have a manic depressive disorder also. He lashes out, physically harms his parents, throws objects, screams and on one occasion he tried to “kill” his little sister with a metal shovel. Obviously, this child has issues. The parents and his doctor felt like the appropriate course of action would be to put him on adult anti-psychotic drugs. When he was three and a half years old he was diagnosed with ADHD and a mood disorder. The drugs that were prescribed for this disorder did not help his outbursts at all. His doctor then put him on an adult medication that is often prescribed to people who suffer from bi-polar disorder. This medication worked to calm his mood but in the video he was nodding off and spacing out while trying to focus on eating his dinner. This relates to the Conrad and Schneider piece “From Badness to Sickness: The Medicalization of Deviance.” This child clearly has some mental instabilities and could use some help. In some cases regular childhood tantrums and such behavior is written off as deviance when it should not be. I do believe that there are instances where a child should be medicated (this instance being one of them). But, how much medication is too much medication when it comes to a child?
youtube.com/watch?v=EnJQLZ8Cf8E
I would really say how bad I felt to see that video in the class and the medication process little kids go through. The parents themselves looked pretty worried about their children as well as the number of prescribed medication for their little ones. It is obviously doesn’t make sense to me in the above case, that how doctor prescribed a seven year old with an adult drugs and medicines. Because are pretty strong drugs which effect the mental, physical growth and health of children. Doctors don’t really seem to be concerned about their health instead experimenting on them. Giving a seven year old an adult bi-polar medicine is insane to me. It is particularly not applicable; there should be an action against these doctors.
Another thing I would mention that if kids gets used to of heavy medication early then there is a very strong possibility that it will affect them in near future. Effects would be the complications they usually have to face. This is pretty cruel. I just don’t understand that how we all as a society; are playing with our young generations life.
A doctor can’t put a young boy on adult anti-psychotic drugs. The young boy’s brain isn’t fully developed and his body isn’t strong enough to take adult medication. Does Cole’s family history and behavior make it easier for the doctor to prescribe him adult medication? For the parents it must have been a difficult decision to give Cole adult medications but for them it’s maybe the answer. Parents can feel conflicted, pressure and desperate when they have a child who has an outburst behavior. The anti-psychotic drug may work for Cole now but it can affect him in the future. I am surprise that doctors don’t prescribe therapy or that Cole’s parents didn’t consider therapy. When watching the dinner footage, Cole does seem out of focus because of the drugs. I don’t understand how doctors can prescribe medicine to children that haven’t been tested on children.
In the video Dr. Mark Olfson mentioned that several million children take anti-psychotic medicine. Is mental illness increasing or becoming an epidemic for children? Several million children taking anti-psychotic medicine is a very high number for children alone. Do doctors feel the need to take extra precaution in children with mental disorder by giving adult drugs?
It’s so easy for the public to judge Cole’s parents for allowing him to take anti-psychotic drug, but it’s a different situation when you’re the parent of a child with mental disorder. One wouldn’t put their kid on adult drugs but there are parent who can barely handle a kid with normal tantrums.