CHICAGO -- Soaring numbers of American children are being prescribed antipsychotic drugs -- in many cases, for attention deficit disorder or other behavioral problems for which these medications have not been shown to work, a study found.

Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts The annual number of children prescribed antipsychotic drugs jumped fivefold between 1995 and 2002, to an estimated 2.5 million, the study said.

That is an increase from 8.6 in 1,000 children in the mid-1990s to nearly 40 in 1,000.

But more than half of the prescriptions were for attention deficit and other nonpsychotic conditions, the researchers said.

The findings are worrisome ''because it looks like these medications are being used for large numbers of children in a setting where we don't know if they work," said lead author Dr. William Cooper, a pediatrician at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

The increasing use of antipsychotics since the mid-1990s corresponds with the introduction of costly and heavily marketed medications such as Zyprexa and Risperdal.

The packaging information for both says their safety and effectiveness in children have not been established.

Antipsychotics are intended for use against schizophrenia, among other psychotic illnesses. Attention deficit disorder is sometimes accompanied by temper outbursts and other disruptive behavior.

As a result, some doctors prescribe antipsychotics to these children to calm them down -- a strategy some doctors and parents say works.

Source

Wow, this is crazy. I don't think I would ever put Juanito on anitpsyhoctics, and he does have outbursts and at times disruptive behavior, but what 4 year old doesn't you know.

I think that some parents just see these medications as a easy way to deal with the problam. It just sad that some parents would expose their children to drugs just because they can sometimes get out of hand...When they often agree that the medications don't usually work.

This is a hard subject....

These drugs are dangerous and have serious side effects. Parents should seek out alternatives (homeopathic remedies) or therapy before putting their children on these powerhouse drugs.

Exactly ADD can be treated sometimes by changing the diet of the child and with therapy to modify their behavior and impulse control. Other underlying issues maybe that the child has a different learning style, kinesthetic, auditory and so forth, speaking with the teacher and explaining this often times can correct the issue.

Right -ons Pika and Raven!
I was taken all the way to district court in 1996 because i refused to medicate my son. I like to believe that my son's case was the spearhead in that Sur Tx. school district,for educating and training teachers to deal with ADD students-phew that was a nightmare. I got an attorney that was floored to hear of the way i was dealing with home remedies and natural indigenous intervention that she represented us for the history of the case!
Great outcome my son is now 21...married, employed,and successefull.