Canadian researchers warn of over-prescribing
Childhood and teenage years are often filled with angst, emotional outburst, moping behind bedroom doors, and frazzled parents nearing their wits end. This behavior may tempt parents and medical practitioners to seek extreme remedies.
A recent study has discovered an overabundance of “second-generation” antipsychotic (SGA) drugs being used to treat children and adolescents. These drugs usually treat bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, however they are increasingly being used in undiagnosed young people.
The number of antipsychotics given to children under 18 has jumped fourfold in the last 17 years.
SGAs have been used to treat “hyperkinetic syndrome of childhood” – essentially ADD, as well as anxiety and disruptive behaviors.
Increases in SGA prescriptions were highest for boys ages 13 to 18, but similarly concerning increases were also seen in 13 to 18 year old girls and boys from ages six to 12. The study also found that SGAs are being used in children under five.
Dr. Dina Panagiotopoulos, lead author of the study, believes that antipsychotic medications are seen as a “go to,” however it is not clear that SGAs have proven benefits.
Only one study has tested the effects of SGAs on adolescents with depression – and the results showed that there was no improvement on depressive symptoms.
Antipsychotics may be actually augmenting the challenges that these young people face – side effects include high blood pressure, weight gain, an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, and diabetes.
Anxiety and depression are serious issues requiring some clinical care, but it may be that too often that the natural developmental “abnormalities” in children or adolescent’s behavior is viewed as a reason to give them medication.
To cloud the experience of growing up with unnecessary medications may foster resentment of figures of authority and medical experts, lead to possible long-term health problems, and perhaps most importantly, disable the natural process of discovering identity and meaning in life.