Too Many Prescription Drugs For Teens

A new paper in the Wisconsin Medical Journal questions how frequentlyteens are being prescribed prescription psychiatric medications in the state. The researcher, a child psychologist × Psychologist
Psychologist /psy·chol·o·gist/ A psychologist is a health care professional who is a specialist in the science of mind or of mental states and processes. Psychologists are there to help support many types of people and problems. Often someone will go visit a psychologist because they have felt feelings such as depression, anger, or anxiety. Other times psychologists will help those people with a new and overwhelming job or help people to overcome grief from events that may occur. Psychologists go through a long process of schooling and training so that the methods that they use to benefit patients in need. Typically a psychologist will use therapy to aid conflict through different methods and styles that best address the patient’s problem, personality, and preferences. Psychologists are a valuable resource that can be used and implemented in many ways to overcome conflict and trials in different people’s lives.
at Rogers Memorial Hospital in West Allis, reviewed 200 admissions to a state mental health × Mental health
Mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”1 It is estimated that only about 17% of U.S adults are considered to be in a state of optimal mental health. The mental health in teenage boys and girls is a crucial issue and concern for parents. Teens, for a variety of reasons, tend to struggle with mental health more than adults or children who have not yet reached their teens. This is because of the turbulent time that comes with adolescence and the individual teen's inability to cope with said turbulence. Parents of troubled teens who struggle with mental health issues, actually have a plethora of treatment options to choose from. The type of treatment option that best fits the individual teen, greatly depends on the individual teens mental health issues.
facility in Madison. He found that for many of the boys, an important part of their treatment was weaning them off the multiple medications they had already been prescribed.  The 200 admissions to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison were for boys between the ages of 9 and 17 years. (There were a few multiple admissions of the same patient.) Mendota is one of two inpatient psychiatric facilities in the state, the other being the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh, which also treats children and teenagers. Mendota, however, “cares for the most complex and challenging patients × Patients
A patient is a person who receives some type of treatment or medical care. The type of treatment or medical care a patient receives depends upon what type of ailments or conditions the individual patient is suffering from. When pertaining to troubled adolescents, patients may be teens who struggle with ailments such as, personality and/or behavioral disorders, drug addictions or need some other type of treatment to regain their foothold in life. The type of treatment programs that assist troubled teen patients are prevalent and come in many, different forms. These types of programs include but is not limited to, boarding schools for troubled teens, wilderness therapy, residential treatment, rehabs, group homes and transitional living programs. Teens who are viewed as patients at their chosen program, are also treated or viewed as patients. Teens are given treatments, medication and rehabilitation much like patients at a hospital who medically require attention.
in Wisconsin,” the paper says.

Prescription Drug Use And Abuse In Teens

Dr. Alexander Scharko found that, on average, patients were taking two or three psychiatric medications upon their admission, but by the time of their discharge, they were taking one or two. The boys were hospitalized anywhere from a few days to more than 30; most were discharged after two weeks or less.  “The use of multiple medications was common,” the paper says, “and treatment included a reduction in the number of psychiatric medications by at least one medication.” The boys admitted to Mendota were identified as suffering from mood disorders × Mood Disorders
Mood disorders /mood/ /dis·or·der/ n. Noun A temporary state of mind, emotion or feeling involved with the disruption of normal, physical or mental functions: a disease or abnormal condition. Mood disorders are the disturbances in a person’s mood. Commonly included are symptoms such as a decreased or loss of interest in almost all activities, a loss of self-confidence including the feeling of worthlessness, experience alternating emotions and tendencies. There is a lot of misunderstandings concerned with mood disorders, however, are likely the cause of a chemical imbalance in the brain known as neurotransmitters. Mood disorders can occur in anyone at any age, but usually the cause of mood disorders can be related to a medical condition, from substance abuse, through life events or other causes. Mood disorders can occur in anyone at any age. They may seem uncontrollable but can be helped and sometimes controlled through the involved meant with treatment centers.
, disruptive behavior disorders, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, some kind of adjustment disorder, marijuana abuse × Abuse
Abuse /a·buse/ Abuse is defined as the improper usage or treatment of an entity, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices: crimes or other types of aggression. Abuse is a negative and real threat that many people face. Child abuse is a problem that is continually occurring. The main types of child abuse are physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglecting. When these types of abuse occur in a home, they often go unnoticed. The stress and fear of the abuse will usually cause the victim to remain quite about the problem. It is a difficult problem to find out and assess, but there are solutions. It is important that people are aware of signs of abuse. They may include unexplained injuries, changes in behavior, fear of going home, changes in eating and sleeping and lack of personal care or hygiene.
or autistic or bipolar disorders. The most common diagnoses were general mood or disruptive behavior disorders. Could multiple psychiatric medications have contributed to these problems? “Psychiatric medications may induce behavioral adverse effects in at least a subset of patients,” the paper concludes.

How Prescription Drug Use Impacts Teens

Scharko tells NewsBuzz that anti-depressants and anti-anxiety × Anxiety
  anx·i·ety n.noun Merriam- Webster dictionary defines anxiety as: : an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat, and by self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with it Anxiety is a very common ailment that almost everyone experiences on an almost daily basis. However, anxiety effects some more than others and can cause severe emotional distress that is too much for an individual to handle. When anxiety plagues an individual so severely that it becomes a disorder, it is crucial that this individual receives therapeutic and emotional restoration in the form of psychological and therapeutic assistance. Teens who experience abnormal amounts of anxiety, tend to self medicate with intoxicants such as drugs and alcohol. When negative, self medication takes place, teens are at great risk of developing harmful coping mechanisms that may be life-long lasting. Anxiety /anx.i.e.ty/ n.Noun Anxiety is defined as the state of uneasiness or tension caused by the feeling of worry or nervousness caused by apprehension of possibilities of the future. Anxiety is a common emotional trait that many people face.  It affects our actions and can prevent us from making decisions.  Usually anxiety holds us back from the types of things that are outgoing or out of our comfort zone and it brings fear. Anxiety is a normal experience for most people and is a normal part of life.  However, when the anxiety reaches the level of a disorder then it can be dangerous.  This would include an intense, extensive, excessive and persistent worry or fear.  Another factor that is caused by an anxiety disorder can be anxiety, fear, or terror attacks when the intensity of anxiety becomes very high.  Types of anxiety disorders can include: social anxiety, separation anxiety and many different phobias etc.  
medications carry both benefits and consequences for their users. “Psychiatric medications are powerful,” he says, “and able to induce agitation and disinhibition,” and due to U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy, he notes, antidepressants carry a “black box” warning stating that their use may increase suicidal thinking and behavior in some children and adolescents × Adolescents
Adolescents /ad.o.les.cent/ n.Noun The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term adolescent as a young person living in the transitional period between the years of puberty and adulthood until they reach the age of full maturity. Adolescents or teenagers, are living in a turbulent and trying time in a person's lifetime. If ill prepared, teens may flounder or display negative behaviors at home. Adolescents are prone to negative behaviors such as, drug and alcohol abuse and other chemical dependencies, sexual misconduct or acting out, failing grades at school and disrespect towards authority. It is for this reason that parents of adolescents need to be particularly mindful when they reach their teenage years. If a teenager is struggling during thus time of adolescence it, is crucial for parents to seek the right care for their son or daughter.    During this time, people are typically more susceptible to negative behaviors and dangerous habits.
.  The FDA began requiring the “black box” in 2004 after a review of past studies found that among about 2,200 children prescribed anti-depressants, about 4 percent “experienced suicidal thinking or behavior, including actual suicide attempts, twice the rate of those taking placebo,” according to the National Institutes of Health.  “Psychiatric medications are prescribed a lot, and in the past ten years, there has been a great increase in prescribing these medications in the pediatric population,” Scharko says.  Anthony Hains, chair of the Department of Educational Psychology at UW-Milwaukee, argues that it’s difficult, when looking at the admissions data, to determine whether the medications prompted the hospitalizations or whether the boys, who were mentally ill, happened to be on several medications because of the severity of their illness.“The side effects of any type of medication for any age group are sort of limited,” he says. For example, a child may report “feeling funny” because of medication for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. “Is that severe enough that it’s causing hospitalization? Probably not.” But Hains says it’s a positive sign that Mendota staff is closely evaluating the many medications their patients have been prescribed. “You get all these multiple things, and do they really need them?”Scharko says research into the effects of juveniles taking psychiatric medications designed for adults has not kept pace with their increasing use. A lack of funding could be one explanation for the dearth in research, he suggests, or a lack of child psychiatrists with research training.  Bruce Rhoades, a board member for the Wisconsin chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and a retired psychiatrist × Psychiatrist
Psychiatrist /psy·chi·a·trist/ A psychiatrist is a medical practitioner that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Through many years of schooling and extensive training in the medical field, a psychiatrist knows and understands the physical and mental functions of the body and can create diagnostics for emotional and medical illnesses. The psychiatrist is the medical specialist who is best qualified for distinguishing problems from being physical and emotional. Psychiatrists run many different types of tests to diagnose patients. From these diagnoses, psychiatrists can perform many different types of treatments that best suit each patient needs and also can refer patients to other health care professionals for a more specific and suitable treatment if needed. Psychiatric students to become certified must follow a standard curriculum and be involved with different courses that relate to the field of psychology along with many different required courses.
, says there are ethical barriers to such research. “It’s hard to explain to a parent, ‘We’re going to do an experiment on your kid.’” He adds, “What we would really like to see is specific diagnoses leading to specific medicinal interventions, but there are not enough studies to say when you have anger, this is what you should do with medication, or if you have depression × Depression
Depression /de·pres·sion/ Depression is defined as a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection, typically also with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, often accompanied by lack of energy and disturbance of appetite and sleep. Statistics has shown that diagnosis of depression is growing at a very dangerous rate. Globally, depression affects over 350 million people of all ages. Depression has been linked to other negative health outcomes, such as obesity, heart disease, and stroke. Compared to those not affected by depression those who face it are more likely to be unemployed and have a higher chance of divorce. Most people that suffer from depression do not seek care or attention. Since this is a global issue, many efforts are made to help those who are suffering depression. It is important for those that face depression to find help so that they can overcome this plague that millions of people face.
, this is what you should do.”  Faced with this shortage of research, psychiatrists often prescribe medications for children that have been approved by the FDA for adults but never specifically approved for pediatric use.