Feds Pay for Drug Fraud: 92 Percent of Foster Care, Poor Kids Prescribed Antipsychotics Get Them for Unaccepted Uses

The release in late March of an alarming new report by federal investigators has confirmed in shocking new detail what has been known for years: Poor and foster care kids covered by Medicaid are being prescribed too many dangerous antipsychotic drugs at young ages for far too long -- mostly without any medical justification at all. The report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General examined in depth nearly 700 claims filed in 2011 in five of the biggest prescribing states -- California, Florida, Illinois, Texas and New York -- and discovered that two thirds of all the prescribing with these popular and costly "second generation antipsychotics" (SGAs) raised high-risk "quality of care" concerns.


More >> Feds Pay for Drug Fraud: 92 Percent of Foster Care, Poor Kids Prescribed Antipsychotics Get Them for Unaccepted Uses

The ADHD Fallacy: It’s Time To Stop Treating Childhood as a Disease

I met Aiden in 2008 when he was seven years old. The previous year, he had moved with his family from New York to California, and the transition had been difficult. He missed his friends in his old neighborhood and his cousins who had lived nearby. When I met with Aiden’s parents, Scott and Ava, they told me Aiden had always been a handful. Even as a baby Aiden was colicky and fussy, and difficult to put down to sleep. At two years old, he was more active than most of their friends’ children. Aiden’s preschool teachers had been concerned about his disruptive, impulsive behavior.

More >> The ADHD Fallacy: It’s Time To Stop Treating Childhood as a Disease

Thousands Of Families Demand Legal Medical Marijuana For Their Critically Ill Kids

Thousands of families of critically ill children and advocates for marijuana reform launched a national campaign Wednesday supporting the legalization of certain strains of cannabis oil that have shown therapeutic benefits.

More >> Thousands Of Families Demand Legal Medical Marijuana For Their Critically Ill Kids

California lawmaker plans to revive bill tightening vaccination rules

The author of a California bill to require school children to be vaccinated for such diseases as polio and measles regardless of their parents' personal beliefs said he would revive the measure, which stalled in the legislature last week.

More >> California lawmaker plans to revive bill tightening vaccination rules

More Than 1% of Preschoolers Given Psychiatric Medication

A surprisingly large number of preschool age children on Medicaid — more than 1% — are taking a psychiatric medication, a worrying finding given the lack of clinical trials on the effectiveness and side effects of the drugs in children this young.

More >> More Than 1% of Preschoolers Given Psychiatric Medication

Kids with ADHD must squirm to learn, study says

For decades, frustrated parents and teachers have barked at fidgety children with ADHD to "Sit still and concentrate!"

 But new research shows that if you want ADHD kids to learn, you have to let them squirm. The foot-tapping, leg-swinging and chair-scooting movements of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are actually vital to how they remember information and work out complex cognitive tasks, according to a study published in an early online release of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

More >> Kids with ADHD must squirm to learn, study says

Australia to Cut Benefits for Parents Who Don’t Vaccinate Kids

"The choice made by families not to immunize their children is not supported by public policy or medical research," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said

More >> Australia to Cut Benefits for Parents Who Don’t Vaccinate Kids

California creates first guidelines for prescribing psych meds to foster youth

Three years after joining forces to address the alarming use of psychotropic medications in California's foster care system, a high-level group of health care officials, attorneys and public policy leaders on Friday unveiled a sweeping set of guidelines for doctors who prescribe the powerful drugs to some of the state's most traumatized children.

More >> California creates first guidelines for prescribing psych meds to foster youth

Family court gives pro-vaccination father decisionmaking authority over children’s medical care

ATTN: Religious People, do you think it's possible that God gave us these vaccines?

The case is a Connecticut trial court case, Archer v. Cassel (2015 WL 1500447), decided March 10; the court views the mother’s refusal to vaccinate as a strike against her, though it also seems to view it as part of broader evidence that the mother would use any tool to spite the father:

Note >> Family court gives pro-vaccination father decisionmaking authority over children’s medical care

Too Many Preschoolers Getting Medications for ADHD

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just published its first national study on the various forms of treatment used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. The study examined the use of medication, behavioral therapy, and dietary supplements — and its results were eye-opening.

More >> Too Many Preschoolers Getting Medications for ADHD

Drugging Foster Kids: Let’s Do Something About It

Foster children are a lucrative market for psychotropic drug sales. Unlike adults, they can’t say “no, I won’t take any more of that drug.” Unlike children living with parents, their parents cannot say “I don’t like what that drug is doing.” Responsibility for prescribing is diffused confusingly among foster parents, caseworkers, child welfare supervisors, group home administrators, and prescribers. All are involved, but their roles in medication decisions are overlapping and ill-defined. It is easy for each to say, “it wasn’t my decision.

 More >> Drugging Foster Kids: Let’s Do Something About It

Study finds foster kids given wrong drug prescriptions

When federal inspectors set out to examine how powerful antipsychotic drugs were being used on children in the nation’s public health systems, they found a 4-year-old on four psychiatric drugs; a 10-year-old prescribed without medical records; and a 16-year-old on six psych meds, including a prescription at double the maximum recommended dosage.

More >> Study finds foster kids given wrong drug prescriptions

Pediatrics Group Says Schools Shouldn’t Drug Test

A leading U.S. pediatrics group is recommending against in-school drug testing as a way to prevent young people from experimenting with illegal substances.

More >> Pediatrics Group Says Schools Shouldn’t Drug Test

Federal study finds alarming use of antipsychotics among nation's poor children, foster kids

When federal inspectors set out to examine how powerful antipsychotic drugs were being used on children in the nation's public health systems, they found a 4-year-old on four psychiatric drugs, a 10-year-old prescribed without medical records, and a 16-year-old on six psych meds, including a prescription at double the maximum recommended dosage.

More >> Federal study finds alarming use of antipsychotics among nation's poor children, foster kids

Foster care kids put on too many psych drugs, report says

Many children in foster care are being overmedicated with antipsychotic drugs they may not really need, or the drugs are being given incorrectly, according to a government review obtained by CBS News.

Foster care kids put on too many psych drugs, report says

THE DRUGGING OF AMERICA'S YOUTH: ADHD DIAGNOSIS IS TOO SUBJECTIVE

The first writings about ADHD were attributed to Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann, who wrote a children’s book titled, “The Story of Fidgety Philip.” Since that time, there have been tens of thousands of papers describing impulsivity and hyperactivity in both children and adults.

More >> THE DRUGGING OF AMERICA'S YOUTH: ADHD DIAGNOSIS IS TOO SUBJECTIVE

Are doctors following best practice when prescribing antipsychotic meds to kids?

There’s been a lot of attention in the media about the number of children taking antipsychotic and other psychiatric medications. The assumption behind most of these stories is that these drugs are being overprescribed, and given to children with minor behavioral issues. A recent story in a European newspaper about the increased use of ADHD medications, for example, was headlined “Zombie Generation.” Yet the reality is there’s very little data to tell us the degree to which these medications are being used appropriately or not.

More >> Are doctors following best practice when prescribing antipsychotic meds to kids?

Parents, do you know who owns your children?

COMMUNITY Anti-vaccinating and free-roaming are two issues involving who has say over our children.

More >> Parents, do you know who owns your children?

The Drugging of Children in Foster Care

It's no secret that here in America, foster children are being prescribed psychiatric drugs, especially neuroleptics, as a means of controlling their behavior.  A great deal has been said and written on the matter.  Politicians have declared the practice deplorable.  Children's advocacy groups have expressed concern, and, of course, those of us in the antipsychiatry movement have screamed till we're hoarse.  But the problem persists.

More >> The Drugging of Children in Foster Care

Bills banning most vaccine exemptions fail in Oregon, Washington

Legislative efforts to increase pressure on parents to get their kids vaccinated failed in Oregon and Washington Wednesday amid stiff opposition as a handful of other statehouses consider similar bills prompted by a measles outbreak at Disneyland.

More >> Bills banning most vaccine exemptions fail in Oregon, Washington