'Pill-popping' worries grow in foster system
January 17, 2005 15:37

Many of the mood-altering drugs, including potent anti-psychotic drugs such as Risperdal, have never been proven to be either safe or effective for children. Among the study's findings:

• The state's expenditures for mental health drugs have nearly tripled between budget years 2001 and 2005, and taxpayers are expected to spend $680 million for psychiatric drugs this budget year.
• Consultants hired by the state found they had "questions about the appropriateness" of mental health drugs given to 1,273 children in state care, Richard C, Surles, who heads Comprehensive Neuroscienece in White Plains, N.Y., told the committee. The consultants wrote letters to 442 doctors telling them they had engaged in "a questionable practice."
• Some of the questionable practices, Surles said, included prescribing more than one anti-psychotic drug to the same child, prescribing two or more stimulant drugs to the same child, prescribing three or more drugs for more than 45 days, or prescribing "very high doses" of anti-psychotic drugs.
• Anti-psychotics, also called neuroleptics, were developed to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia, a debilitating disorder than can lead to psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations in adults. The disorder typically occurs as a person reaches young adulthood, and is very rarely diagnosed in children, especially small children.