Children in foster care are more likely to take multiple antipsychotic medications for longer periods of time than any other group of children
By DR. MARK ABDELMALEK, BRINDA ADHIKARI, SARAH KOCH, JOSEPH DIAZ and CLAIRE WEINRAUB
Nov. 30, 2011
The federal government has not done enough to oversee the treatment of America’s foster children with powerful mind-altering drugs, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to be released Thursday.
ABC News was given exclusive access to the GAO report, which capped off a nationwide yearlong investigation by ABC News on the overuse of the most powerful mind-altering drugs on many of the country’s nearly 425,000 foster children.
The GAO’s report, based on a two-year-long investigation, looked at five states — Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Texas. Thousands of foster children were being prescribed psychiatric medications at doses higher than the maximum levels approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in these five states alone. And hundreds of foster children received five or more psychiatric drugs at the same time despite absolutely no evidence supporting the simultaneous use or safety of this number of psychiatric drugs taken together
To read full story and to watch full Episode of Diane Sawyer’s TV Broadcast: http://abcnews.go.com/US/study-shows-foster-children-high-rates-prescription-psychiatric/story?id=15058380
About CCHR Florida
About CCHR Florida
What is CCHR Florida? The Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida (CCHR) helps parents understand their parental rights; childrens’ rights; the facts regarding psychiatric medications, such as prozac, ritalin, adderall, et cetera; helps all individuals to understand that they have the right to informed consent and the right to alternative treatment. CCHR Florida is a non-profit public benefit organization that investigates and exposes psychiatric violations of human rights. It works shoulder-to-shoulder with like-minded groups and individuals who share a common purpose to clean up the field of mental health. CCHR Florida shall continue to do this work until abusive and coercive practices committed under the guise of mental health are eradicated and human rights and dignity are returned to all. While CCHR Florida does not provide medical or legal advice, it does work closely with attorneys and medical doctors and supports medical, but not psychiatric, practices.
Mental Health
No one denies that people can have difficult problems in their lives and that at times can feel mentally unstable. Mental health care is therefore both valid and necessary. However, the emphasis must be on workable mental healing methods that improve and strengthen individuals and thereby society, by restoring people to personal strength, ability, competence, confidence, stability, responsibility and spiritual well-being. CCHR Florida refers those who call in on our hotline to alternative health care doctors who will help them to handle their medical situation, without the use of psychiatric drugs.
