When a military father or mother is deployed, their children may have a tough time adjusting and need some extra love and attention for a while. Are there actual ways to help these children when their parents are busy defending our nation?
Unfortunately, psychiatrists view this family difficulty as an opportunity- many of them waste no time in drugging young children with powerful anti-psychotics. Unquestionably, this can end in tragedy. The Radenz family story appeared recently in The Army Times: 1
Before young Daniel Radenz’s father was deployed to Iraq, he was a well-adjusted 11-year-old making As and Bs in his school near Ft. Hood Texas.
But not surprisingly, after his father’s deployment young Daniel became moody, withdrawn and anxious. His concerned mother took him to a pediatrician who referred Daniel to a psychiatrist.
He was initially prescribed Celexa, followed by other drugs as time went on and his problems grew worse.
Daniel’s decline is further detailed,
“Daniel started cutting himself and once used his own blood to write ‘the end’ on a bathroom wall at school. One day in band class, he began hallucinating and ran into the hall, where teachers found him crouched and hitting and scratching his face.
“On June 9, 2009, Daniel hanged himself from a bunk bed in his home.”
According to this same article,
“The use of psychiatric medications by military children is on the rise. Overall, in 2009, more than 300,000 prescriptions for psychiatric drugs were provided to children under 18 who are Tricare [military health benefits program] beneficiaries.”
In 2007 The Food and Drug Administration ordered all antidepressant medications carry an expanded black-box warning. This referred to the increased risk of suicidal symptoms in young adults age 18 to 24. Several years earlier, in 2004 antidepressants were required to have a black box warning, as these same drugs were associated with increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and adults.
How many more young children have to die before psychiatric drugs are made illegal, and why does the FDA allow the dangerous antidepressant drugging of America’s youth to continue unabated?
Sources:
Linked above: http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/article_7424c0f3-2e5b-5981-bb0c-2d384b1954e5.html
1. http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/01/military-children-taking-more-psychiatric-drugs-010211w/
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