Overmedicating children has been an issue that has received much widespread attention in the past few years. More children are being diagnosed with mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorders as young as the age of 4. Prescribing medicine for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has also been on the rise . While medication often seems to alleviate symptoms for certain disorders and conditions, the long term effects of using drugs in children are not all known. Side effects have also occurred from using these drugs. It will probably take years before all of the long-term effects are known. However, some individuals feel that medicating children is okay, any of the positive outcomes outweighing the side effects of the drugs. In the case of Gavin Gorksi, an 11 year old with Asperger’s Syndrome and schizoaffective disorder, his father does not feel that the family could exist without Gavin taking drugs to control his hallucinations and other symptoms . In spite of some support for using drugs with children, I feel that overmedicating children does more harm than good.
While medication has helped children to not experience the negative symptoms of bipolar disorder and has helped other kids to alleviate the symptoms of AHDH, some of these drugs also create other side effects that cannot be explained or treated by physicians. For instance, Jacob Solomon is a five year old kid who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Originally treated with the drug Ritalin, Solomon was given a multitude of different drugs. His parents found it difficult. Although many of his ADD symptoms seemed to disappear, Solomon developed a tic in his neck that has not gone away. There have been also been some questions about medications effects on brain development. Certain medications may interfere with healthy brain development .
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Some children diagnosed with ADHD and other disorders can get better without medication. For example, ADHD can be treated by other means, such as parents helping their children to get more organized in order to prevent distractions, common in ADHD. Parents can also teach children how to plan for distraction in advance. It is also possible that there are extenuating circumstances that are contributing to a child’s behavior, such as a death in the family, a new baby, or the results of poor parenting .
There is also a chance that young children have been misdiagnosed with certain disorders, making drugs unnecessary. According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control, about 10,000 toddlers in the United States have been diagnosed with and treated with drugs for attention disorders. Unfortunately, this type of treatment for these young children is not in line with pediatric guidelines. With the increased incidence of 2 and 3 years old being diagnosed, there is also a possibility that these conclusions are incorrect. Said Doctor Alan Schwartz, “It is outside the American Academy of Pediatric guidelines to diagnose a child, let alone medicate them below the age of four. Even the ones that are extraordinarily hyperactive, you don’t whether that’s ADHD, a problem in the home, sleep” . Doctor Nancy Rappaport feels that just because a child is hyperactive or has issues maintaining focus at a young age does not necessarily mean that ADHD or other attention disorders are the cause. The child’s behavior could point to other problems, such as issues in the home
I feel that overmedication children can result in negative side effects, interfering with brain development and cause other physical problems that did not exist before the medication was given out for certain attention disorders. For some kids with ADHD, drug therapy is not necessary, the disorder able to be managed with some behavioral changes with the help of parents. In the future, I feel that more long-term side effects of children taking medication will be known. I feel that after a kid is diagnosed with ADHD or bipolar disorder, natural methods such as better nutrition and behavioral changes should be tried first, except in the most extreme cases. Then, medication can be given to the child if all else fails. I also feel that a child that is prescribed medication should get a second opinion from another physician before drug therapy is started.
- Frontline. “The Medicated Child.” 8 January 2008. PBS.org. Web. 20 June 2014.
- Park, Madison. “Little People, Lots of Pills: Experts Debate Medicating Kids.” 24 May 2001. CNN.com. Web. 20 June 2014.
- Velez, Mandy. “Dangers of Prescribing ADHD Meds to Toddlers: ‘We’re living in the U.S. of Adderall.” 19 May 2014. HuffingtonPost.com. Web. 20 June 2014.
