According to IMS Health’s Vector One: National and Total Patient Tracker Database for 2013 these are the figures for 0-1 year olds being prescribed psychiatric drugs:
- 249,669 0-1 year olds are on anti-anxiety drugs(such as Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan).
- 26,406 0-1 year olds are on antidepressants(such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil).
- There are 1,422 0-1 year olds taking ADHD drugs(such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Concerta).
- 654 0-1 year olds are taking antipsychotics (such as Risperdal, Seroquel, and Zyprexa).
While the CDC was correct in issuing their
report on the 10,000 2-3 year olds (toddlers) being prescribed ADHD
drugs, the number of toddlers on anti-anxiety and antidepressants is
staggering in comparison:
- 318,997 2-3 year olds are on anti-anxiety drugs.
- 46,102 2-3 year olds are on antidepressants.
- 3,760 2-3 year olds are taking antipsychotics.
And as for other age groups, the numbers start in the millions with 0-5 year olds:
- The total number of 0-5 year olds currently prescribed psychiatric drugs is 1,080,168.
- The number of 6-12 year olds on psychiatric drugs is 4,130,340.
- The number of 13-17 year olds taking psychiatric drugs is 3,617,593.[3]
The above are stunning data and, yet, the
most egregious element of the ever-increasing number of America’s
children being prescribed psychiatric drugs, is that the diagnosis
needed in order to have the drugs prescribed, is subjective—there is no
medical test to support or validate even one psychiatric diagnosis. As
Allen Frances, a psychiatrist and former DSM-IV Task Force Chairman,
stated, “There are no objective tests in psychiatry—no X-ray, laboratory
or exam finding that says definitively that someone does or does not
have a mental disorder. There is no definition of mental disorder. It’s
bull…. I mean you just can’t define it.”[4]
According to the Final Statement from the
National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference on ADHD, “we do not
have an independent, valid test for ADHD, and there are no data to
indicate ADHD is due to a brain malfunction.”[5]
When it comes to the psychiatric drugs used to treat ADHD, these are referred to as “kiddie cocaine” for a reason.Ritalin (methylphenidate) Adderall (amphetamine) and Concerta,
are all considered by the federal government as Schedule II drugs—the
most addictive.[6] ADHD drugs also have serious side effects such as
agitation, mania, aggressive or hostile behavior, seizures,
hallucinations, and even sudden death, according to the National
Institutes of Health.[7] And the Food and Drug Administration still
mandates that all labels for ADHD stimulants state “Long-term effects of
amphetamines in children have not been well established.”[8]
As far as antipsychotics, antianxiety drugs
and antidepressants, the FDA and international drug regulatory agencies
cite side effects including, but not limited to, psychosis, mania,
suicidal ideation, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and even sudden
death.[9]
In summary: Yes, the recent report of the CDC
on the number of toddlers being prescribed ADHD drugs is shocking, but
it is nowhere near the actual figure of infants, toddlers, and children
being drugged. Being shocked is a good place to start, but action is
required to protect the weakest among us. As John F. Kennedy
stated,”Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best
hope for the future.” It is time to start protecting our children and it
starts with informing parents. For more information visit the Parents Know Your Rights page.
–
About Citizens Commission on Human Rights: CCHR
is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious mental health watchdog.
Its mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental
health and enact patient and consumer protections. CCHR has helped to
enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive
mental health practices.
By Kelly Patricia O’Meara - May 21, 2014
http://www.cchrint.org/2014/05/21/10000-toddlers-on-adhd-drugs-tip-of-the-iceberg/
Addition (Dr. Morris):
When will pastors, parents and even poets get excited about the above information? You read and hear about the dilemma of children's mental anguish and anxieties leading to every type of problem everyday. Why are our prisons, mental institutions and even schools filled with patients and people trying to solve mental problems? Big pharma has provided the drugs and we know that thirty to forty percent of all children are now "drugged." The psychologists are wanting to write prescriptions. Can we even imagine what life will be like for those who think they have a need for drugs; legal or otherwise.
Parents, teachers and others that have found that children are more easily managed as zombies.
No comments:
Post a Comment