Remember when children were sent to reform school after
someone decided they were "a problem?" Or, how
about the kid who never spoke, took daily abuse from
bullies, but somehow managed to graduate and become
successful?
When I was growing up, I went to a private Catholic
school. Kids who got out of line were frequently sent to
the parish priest or the head nun for discipline. If the
child kept causing problems, he or she was given
in-school counseling. The last resort was to expel them
to a reform school, now known as a juvenile detention
center.
Nowadays, parents and teachers watch a kid's behavior
carefully. By the time a child reaches second grade or
sooner, there is a portfolio on behavior patterns,
intelligence and academic guesses on what the child will
become.
Armed with knowledge that a child's personality is
nearly fully formed by age 5, parents look for ways to
alter any behavior that isn't working within the family
or school environment. Once a child starts rebelling,
the first plan of action is to take him or her to the
doctor to see if there is a behavioral disorder.
In the past 10 years, the treatment of childhood and
adolescent behavior disorders have risen dramatically.
Many more children and teens are being prescribed
antidepressant and psychotropic drugs to address
"bad" behavior patterns. Many of these drugs
used have insufficient data to prove they are safe.
Children are being used as guinea pigs for long-term
effects.
In a study done from 2000 to 2002, 90 percent of the
children who were sent to psychiatrists and prescribed
antidepressants were white males under the age of 21.
Given the small amount of research done on antipsychotic
drugs, it is not clear that the most commonly prescribed
are safe for use in children.
Children and families had to suffer terrible
tragedies before the effects of antipsychotic drug use
were known. Recent reports have suggested stimulant
drugs like Ritalin may exacerbate underlying heart
problems. Antidepressants may increase suicidal thinking
or behavior in some children, especially teens, with
risks of rapid weight gain and rising blood sugar levels
that can lead to diabetes.
Kids today are raised very differently than they were
30 years ago. Play dates and scheduled activities are
enforced. Any antisocial behavior is put under the
microscope. Adults directly control children's free
time. Just letting a child or teen go through a
"phase" is considered bad parenting.
I realize there are many more dangers to children
today: child predators on the Internet, gangs that
injure or kill other children and drugs that are much
more available to minors. Parents have become virtual
prison guards, hoping they are protecting their child
correctly.
But studies need to be done before a child is placed
on antipsychotic drugs. Parents need to allow childhood.
Otherwise, we risk raising generations of pill poppers.
McKee, a wheelchair user, is a freelance writer
and producer. You can e-mail her at chairgrrl@chairgrrl.com.
