Psychotropic Medications and Foster Children

A 2011 study by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that foster children were prescribed psychotropic drugs at higher rate than non foster children. The study analyzed five states: Oregon, Florida, Massachusetts, Texas and Michigan. Kids in these states were 2.7 to 4.5. times more likely to be prescribed psychotropic drugs.

In Oregon 19.7 percent of children in foster care were on psychotropic drugs compared to 4.8 percent of non foster children.

A psychotropic drug is defined as being any drug that has the ability to affect/alter the mind, emotions and behavior. As per an ABC article, the five most common category of prescription psychotropic drugs include anti-psychotics, antidepressants, ADHD drugs, anti-anxiety drugs, and mood stabilizers. The article lists the specific side effects of each category of drugs. These side effects range from weight fluctuation, sleeping problems to increased suicidal thinking and behavior in children and adolescents.

Another ABC exclusive on 20/20 interviews some of the children who were prescribed these drugs along with some of their foster parents and  doctors. What they found was frightening. There were kids who weren't even teenagers that had been prescribed multiple psychotropic drugs at the same time. Children who had been taking drugs since they were four years old. Doctors who spent less than ten minutes with foster care children before prescribing psychotropic drugs. Most of the children in the investigation had advocates, usually their foster parents, who saw that something needed to change. They fought for these children and they were all weaned off their medication and began to make significant improvements in all aspects of their lives. Many of them were also adopted by their foster family!

Despite the happy ending for the kids featured in ABC's report, the over prescription of psychotropic drugs has been reported by multiple news organizations including Time, NPR, NY Times and many more. There is no denying the help that these drugs can do for some people, and even some children but are we as a society relying too heavily on the quick fix? It's no secret that kids in foster care have a more traumatic childhood and have more obstacles to overcome than the average child but are psychotropic drugs the answer?

How do you feel about prescribing psychotropic drugs to children in foster care? What about children in general? We want to hear what you think.