Foster Kids being placed on Mind-Altering Drugs

A San Antonio news station has uncovered an alarming trend in the Foster care system. Toddlers, children and teens are being placed on powerful psychotropic drugs.

A sampling of state records released by the State Comptroller's office shows two out of three foster kids in texas appear to be on psychotropic meds. The Medicaid prescription records are from November of last year and show that many kids are taking two or more of these drugs.

At the risk of losing her job, a Child Protective Services worker spoke to the Trouble Shooters following a hearing by State Rep. Carlos Uresti last month. She talked about one child on 17 different medications. That's right. Seventeen!

"I think he had three to four psychotropic medications in addition to the Depakote, in addition to Zoloft, in addition to Trazadone to help him sleep." Some of these drugs the FDA states are not even safe for kids. "He did need medications," she continues, "But I had concerns about how could this child require 17 different medications."

What's perhaps even more alarming, child advocates say, are the ages of the kids. The Trouble Shooters obtained a never before released study that tracks the ages of the foster kids on these drugs during a one month period of time. At least 300 of these children are under the age of 7.

Some of these physicians aren't even qualified to treat childhood mental disorders.

Who is prescribing these meds? You would think psychiatrists, right? Well, after pouring through thousands of documents, the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters found that's not always the case. Many are family practitioners.

State records show one of the biggest prescribers in San Antonio is a radiologist. Sure it's legal, but what does a radiologist know about a child's mental health?

This is an outrage. How do you give young children that much medicaiton and justify it. This just goes to show how much in need the foster care system is of an overhaul. Behavior control does not constitute the abuse of medication.

Here is the link to the article
Foster Kids on Mind-Altering Drugs?

What a horrible way to deal with emotional issues, eh?
It seems to me that counseling would not only be more effective but also cheaper than having Medicare or the state pick up the cost of all those name-brand meds.

I gave you a "way above" vote for posting this, and hopefully there will be a follow-up.

Thanks McCGA! I am sure this is not limited to the state of Texas and it would be quite interesting to see what else I can find on the issue. As soon as I have more I will post.

Yeah, great way to deal with emotional issues. Let's just drug them up. I am sure they will turn out to be outstanding citizens one day.

This is a very good find aTwistofReality. One has to wonder where states responsability has gone. The foster care system needs a serious look at it. Reforms ned to be undertaken. There are too many stories of this type floating around.

Good find

Well everone step up a meet a man raised through the Foster system.
Got bad news for you all the servival rate for kids that go through the (SYSTUM) is very very low indded. Most are in prision or druged out or dead by the time there 40 . My age . Im a surviver in what is no less then a war. Beeten druged sexulay molsted all these things and worse happened to me durning my 17 years of young life.
I have seen things that you wouldent belive happen in this country of the USA.
And ill keep my realy bad stories to my self the things I just told you bearly scrach the serfice of the Child inderstry .Yes I said it Its a INDERSTRY .
the gov makes money the foster care system makes money and the foster parents make money .
11 count them 11 different homes in 17 years passed around like thous dogs you see in the pound never knowing where i was going to live next never having a family or home.
i cant beging to tell the horror . But never the leess like I said Im a surviver and once I got out on my own I spent ten years going through every sicology book there is learning how to cope with all the emochional problems learning to watch my self to see the thins that were trying to take over . and prosming my self If i wasent 100% sure I could raise children without causing my problems to be transferd to them that I would NEVER have kids.
But after ten long years of hard work about the time i was 26 I relized I had suceded in fixing my self and found a wife and now at 40 have 6 wonderfull boys and the wife i marred 11 years agaio still.
If you do anything in life cherish your kids let then know your there for them.
It gives me great sastfaction knowing my boys can come in the house anytime and see threre mother knowing she is aloways tthere for them.
and knowing my bopys love me respect me and ar NOT afraid of me.
Ps heres how to tell if a person or animal is being or has ever been BEET on.
try reaching out your hand to touch there face or head and they will back away. i know this because even after 40 years I cant help flinching if a person i dont know well trys touching me.

Thanks Twist, for the posting. More people need to be aware of these things.

Simcity - I'm glad you made it and that you're doing all right. I know it's been quite some time now, but s/times memories have a way of resurfacing by way of current events triggering them or your mind may feel that you are now capable of handling the ones you had forgotten (or never remembered.)

I have come across this before, just not in the news. It's all over. Alot of child abductions (and even adults) are taken to be experimented w/. It's sad and it's downright scary. Some of those kids make it back, as adults, but they are severely brain damaged and/or programmed. Most don't remember what happened to them until s/thing in their life triggers those memories and they start to get help for them and then the wrong kind of help unlocks a door that should've never been opened.