Psychiatric Treatment Up, Impairing Mental Illness Down

There have been a lot of mixed messages when it comes to the state of child mental health and the amount of psychiatric treatment children are receiving. On the one hand, we hear the alarm sounded by many that too many children without significant mental illness are being diagnosed and prescribed medication.  On the other […]

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Vermont Youth Prescribed Fewer Antipsychotic Medications

Newly analyzed data from the Department of Vermont Health Access is revealing important trends regarding psychiatric medication use in Vermont children and adolescents.  The data examines Medicaid insured youth who took at least one medication in various classes (antidepressants, ADHD medications, antipsychotics, etc.) over the course of the year, comparing rates between 2009, 2011, and […]

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Zombification Is Not an Acceptable Medication Outcome

As the Halloween season approaches, I have again been reminded of the frequent concern of parents who are considering using medication as part of the treatment plan for their child’s emotional-behavioral problems.  The dilemma that I and many other clinicians repeatedly hear from parents is that they want their child’s symptoms improved without changing the […]

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