For more information, contact:
Julia Lear
Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
The George Washington University Medical Center
202-466-3396

Psychotropic Drugs and Children: Use, Trends, and Implications for School

Washington, D.C.- Recent increases in the use of psychotropic medications by children and adolescents, limited information on the benefits of these medications for children, and concerns about the adverse consequences of certain drugs have prompted a growing disquiet in the medical community and among policy makers, family members, and school officials.

The use of antidepressants to treat major depression in children and adolescents has been particularly controversial. Many studies have shown these agents to be only modestly effective. Additional concerns have been raised about the possible association between antidepressant drug use and increases in serious depression and suicide attempts.

To help policy makers and public officials sort through the data, the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools has assembled a 6-page fact sheet summarizing what the research tells us. The fact sheet describes the extent of emotional and behavioral health problems among children, summarizes what we know about effective treatments, and suggests what schools may do to safely dispense psychotropic medications during the school day when they have been prescribed by a student's physician.

"The fact that a substantial portion of medications are administered by school staff who do not have health training becomes particularly worrisome when we consider the increasing number of these powerful drugs that are prescribed for students," commented Julia Lear, the Center's director. "As the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) has pointed out, it is not a solution to say that we will not treat children with mental illness. NAMI has commented that policy makers, whether in Congress or on school boards, should not interfere with the rights of families to determine the best treatment for their child in consultation with health professionals. The Center has assembled this fact sheet to provide background data on a complex subject critical to child and adolescent health."

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The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, which receives core support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a nonpartisan policy and program resource center located at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services in Washington, DC.

Related links:

Psychotropic Drugs and Children: Use, Trends, and Implications for Schools 

News stories: Psychotropic Drugs for Children Outpace Medications for Asthma

Urges School-Based Mental Health Services

NAMI Reports on Children and Psychotropic Medication

Background: InFocus - Adolescent Depression and Mental Health Servicesundefined