Psychiatric Drug Use In Children Skyrockets

According to the February 23, 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of children from 2 - 4 years old prescribed psychiatric drugs has soared despite a disturbing lack of research in how the drugs can affect the health and development of children.

Between 1991 and 1995, researchers report that use of psychiatric drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac in children between the ages of 2 - 4 years old has increased by 50%. According the researchers, anecdotal evidence exists that the numbers are still increasing.

Ritalin is classified as a Schedule II narcotic along with cocaine and methamphetamine and Prozac is classified as an anti-depressant, a category that has been linked with the recent school shootings.

The report also noted that doctors have begun prescribing the drug clonidine to children for attention disorders. Clonidine is normally used for treating high blood pressure in adults and has not been studied or approved for use in children. Slowed heart rate and fainting have been reported in children using clonidine.

Experts in child development say that they are worried about this trend because no one is quite sure how the drugs affect children. The experts worry that these powerful psychoactive drugs may cause a severe impediment to a child's normal brain formation and psychological development.

In commentary, we would agree. Filtering a child's developing perceptions of the world through the chemical haze of psychotropic drugs can only do harm. If there is the slightest possibility that "quick fix" psychotropic drugs will interfere with the normal physical development of a child's brain and personality, other less dangerous options should be considered.