It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

Frederick Douglass

acts of commission and omission

I used to believe things that I no longer believe. I never believed what was done to my boy was part of some kind of conspiracy or plot----It is impossible to believe my son's victimization by social workers and mental health 'professionals' and public servants morally, ethically and legally failed their duty to my son was any sort of 'accident;' it was State sanctioned.

What keeps me up at night is thinking of all the kids that will not be spared---because it is 'STANDARD PRACTICE' to give children teratogenic drugs which will cause them iatrogenic diseases and injuries which can disable and/or kill them---Drugs which are never 'risk free' much less, 'safe;' and all too often, not 'effective' either. According to the GAO's report and the article below, the drugs are most often used 'off-label;' when prescribed to children, which actually means 'experimentally.'

via Journal of Pedeiatric Health Care:

Antipsychotic Medication Prescribing Trends in Children and Adolescents

an excerpt:

"Despite the adverse effects, the FDA has approved risperidone for treatment of irritability and aggression in autistic children ages 5 to16 years and risperidone and aripiprazole for treatment of schizophrenia in children ages 13 to 17 years. More recently, four other atypical antipsychotic medications were approved for the treatment of bipolar 1 disorder and schizophrenia: quetiapine (Seroquel), olanzapine (Zyprexa), ziprasidone (Geodon), and aripiprazole (Abilify; for bipolar disorder only)."

"It is important to note that although the FDA has approved second-generation antipsychotic medications for these conditions, most pediatric use is off label, that is, prescribed for conditions not approved by the FDA (Crystal et al., 2009, Zito et al., 2008). In addition, a twofold to fivefold increase in the use of antipsychotic medications in children younger than 6 years has occurred, despite little information on their long-term effects on child health and the developing brain (Egger, 2010, Zito et al., 2000, Zito et al., 2007). Moreover, young children are likely to be receiving multiple psychotropic medications. In one large-scale analysis, almost 80% of preschool children receiving antipsychotic medications also were prescribed other psychotropic medications to manage their symptoms (Olfson, Crystal, Huang, & Gerhard, 2010). These trends, which are affecting both privately and publicly insured children of both sexes (Olfson et al., 2010, Pathak et al., 2010), pose significant implications for pediatric providers." (emphasis mine)

Taking neuroleptic drugs has 'serious implications' for the patient, particularly when the patient is a child.---This bio-psychiatric pharmaceutical 'medical treatment' is being used in Standard Practice is not derived from an evidence base. The empirical data does not support giving children these dangerous drugs at all---Why would it be done so casually and indiscriminately The treatment protocols written by 'experts' are based on a consensus of opinions, not the empirical data they should be derived from! These 'doctors' are recommending drugs for uses not safety tested or approved for the manner in which they are used----and countless children have been permanently disabled and died as a result.---I say countless because the FDA determined these 'adverse events' do not need to be tracked, the data does not need to be collected. Doctors are not required to report adverse events like disability and death caused by FDA approved drugs---even drugs used off-label.

One of the reasons so many children are being drugged suggested in the article is, "Inadequate Provider Time and Reimbursement for Managing Behavioral Problems"

What the hell kind of unethical excuse is this for prescribing what are dangerous, minimally effective drugs which are potentially fatal to ANY human being; let alone a child?

"Lack of reimbursement for the time needed to fully assess children’s problematic behaviors may put clinicians in a bind, particularly if they are faced with an overwhelmed parent desperate for help. Providers may also be concerned for the safety of the child and his or her family. Under these circumstances, medication may be seen as a viable course of treatment."read (emphasis mine)

It is obvious to me that the members of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry want us all to believe this widespread drugging of our children is being done because kids, families, pediatricians, general practitioners, and teachers---basically anyone who is not a psychiatrist, is making it happen. The widespread use of psychiatric drugs in children has NOTHING at all to do with the treatment algorithms and practice parameters based on a biological hypothesis, validated by the AACAP membership by a vote in the same quasi-democratic method used to develop the diagnoses and diagnostic criteria.