Should be required reading for every Physician. The situation has become
one of the doctor is working for the pharmaceutical company foremost and
then the child or person if he/she can conform the treatment to the
pharmaceutical dictation.
Gail
"Ilena Rose" <BIA@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:n27r445sscmtgk966kr144t1qpvjc3r1ge@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> News from Health Lover, Ilena Rosenthal:
> http://ilenarose.blogspot.com
>
>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whitehead/no-child-left-undrugged_b_106032.html
>
> No Child Left Undrugged
>
> According to autopsy re****ts, 4-year-old Rebecca Riley died from an
> overdose of psychiatric drugs. At age 2, Rebecca was diagnosed with
> attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At 3, she was
> diagnosed with bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. By
> the time she died on Dec. 13, 2006, little Rebecca was taking
> Clonidine, as well as the anti-convulsant Depakote and the
> anti-psychotic Seroquel.
>
> What were some of the symptoms that prompted such treatment plans? As
> her mother described it, Rebecca was "constantly getting into things,
> running around, not being able to settle down."
>
> Rebecca's diagnosis was not a medical aberration. Her 10-year-old
> brother and 4-year-old sister were already being treated for manic
> depression. Indeed, nearly one million children are re****tedly
> diagnosed as bipolar, making it more common than autism and diabetes
> combined. From 1994 to 2003, the number of children treated for
> bipolar disorder increased 40 percent, a jump that many experts
> attribute to more doctors aggressively applying the diagnosis.
>
> An increasing number of medical officials are voicing the concern that
> children are being misdiagnosed. Dr. John McClellan, who runs a
> children's psychiatric hospital in the state of Wa****ngton, suggested
> that the bipolar diagnosis has become a catch-all for aggressive and
> troubled children.
>
> Likewise, child psychiatrist John Holttum believes that the definition
> of bipolar disorder is expanding. Whereas children who were seen as
> troubled or irritable 10 or 15 years ago might have been treated with
> counseling, parental training for their caregivers or other social
> interventions, children with similar symptoms today are being
> diagnosed as bipolar and treated with medication. Unfortunately, for
> many families, therapy is not even an option. According to Dr. Michael
> Brody, a child psychiatrist at the University of Maryland, since
> insurance companies often do not sup****t therapy, most parents opt for
> medication.
>
> Not surprisingly, the pharmaceutical companies are reaping the
> rewards, aided by the medical community and the media. Bipolar
> disorder medication is typically three to five times more expensive
> than medications prescribed for other disorders, such as depression or
> anxiety. As the News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash., points out, "Furthering
> the trend is extensive marketing of atypical anti-psychotics by the
> companies that make them, and media coverage of bipolar disorder as a
> childhood disease."
>
> Yet many of the anti-psychotic drugs being prescribed for children
> have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use on
> them. Of the two that have been approved for children, Risperdahl and
> Abilify, they've only been approved for short-term use. Nevertheless,
> as the News Tribune points out, because these drugs have been approved
> for adults, "doctors are free to prescribe drugs to anyone and in any
> way they see fit once they have been approved for some purpose."
>
> What this means is that in addition to being misdiagnosed, there is an
> increased likelihood that children are also being overdrugged. Concern
> about this scenario has prompted Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, chief medical
> officer for the Wa****ngton state Medicaid program, to provide more
> stringent guidelines to ensure that anti-psychotic drugs are
> prescribed to Medicaid children only when truly needed and at proper
> dosages.
>
> While Thompson's actions signal a move in the right direction, at
> least for minor-aged Medicaid recipients in his state, it will do
> little to help children in private care and in other states.
>
> When confronted with the numbers of children being diagnosed with
> bipolar disorder -- about 800,000 in 2003, and likely much higher now
> -- it is hard to know how to respond. Could that many young people
> truly be suffering from this disorder? It is tempting to lay the blame
> on an over-zealous medical community or a greedy pharmaceutical
> industry. There is no doubt that they have benefited financially from
> the sharp rise in bipolar cases among young people.
>
> Is it more a case of kids just being kids -- noisy, rambunctious,
> hyperactive, disorderly? Or is there something else going on here?
> Curiously, one study released in 2007 indicated that among children
> diagnosed with bipolar disorder, two-thirds of them were boys.
>
> While there are undeniably cases where children are actually suffering
> and are helped by diagnosis and medication, I have to wonder about the
> majority. Little is said in the studies I have read about the impact
> that family life and the environment may have on the behavior of
> children diagnosed as bipolar, or even ADHD, yet they can't be ruled
> out.
>
> Society as a whole has become irresponsible in its duty to young
> people. Obsessed with materialism, we have handed over our young
> people to marketing mavens and cor****ations eager to make a quick
> buck. Distracted by entertainment, we have relinquished our children
> to television babysitters, allowing them to become turned on by and
> tuned into mindless television programs, video games and advertising
> that promote violence and premarital ***, among other unhealthy
> behaviors. Children need human touch and love. All too often, parents
> give them over to others for care. They also leave them floating in
> the non-real world of virtual reality.
>
> Thus, it is little wonder that so many children are out of control,
> disorderly and unable to settle down. But they shouldn't be victimized
> and punished for our neglect. Nor should they be drugged into
> compliance. Our children are screaming for help, but we're not
> listening to what they're saying. Instead, many parents are just
> hoping to shut them up -- whether with drugs or entertainment -- and
> get a little peace and quiet. But that's not the answer.
>
> A solution will not be found by passing another law. Rather, it must
> start at home and in the community. When the family breaks down,
> everything breaks down. We need to start by re-building families.
> Parents need to be parents and stop over-scheduling their children.
> They need to start spending time with them.
>
> Finally, parents need to say no to drugs for their children. They need
> to control what their children watch and listen to. And they need to
> take off the headphones, turn off the cell phones and try
> communicating with their children.
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