Psychotropic Medication Use in Foster Care Children Comes Under Scrutiny

Psychotropic MedicationUsein FosterCareChildren ComesUnderScrutiny

CitizensCommissiononHumanRightsInternationalsayspotentialabuseoffostercare childrenisanationalconcernbecausedespitelegislativereformsandstrictercontrolson dispensingofthedrugs,nationwideoneinfourchildreninfostercareisadministeredatleast onepsychotropicdrug.

Concernshavebeenpromptedby recentlyreleasedstatisticsthat34% offostercarechildreninMaryland aretakingpsychotropicdrugs, especiallyantipsychotics.

Medicaidisthecountry'slargestpayerforantipsychotics, accountingfor80%ofallantipsychoticprescriptionsinthe country.

Medicaidantipsychoticspendingwasaround $166millionin1991and$3.36billionin2015 —awhopping2,087%increase.Total Medicaidenrollmentincreasedbyonly201% between1990(22.9million)andnearly69 millionin2016.

In2015,anHHSInspectorGeneralreportshowedverylittlechange.Overhalfofthe childrenreceivingantipsychoticswerevictimizedby“poormonitoring”ofthedrugs’risky healthsideeffects,whichincludebreastgrowthinboys,cardiacarrest,extremeweight gain,anddiabetes.

Onelargestudyinchildrenand youthandpublishedinJAMA

Psychiatryshowedathree-fold increaseintheriskoftypeII diabetesforthoseprescribed antipsychotics.

Childrenandyouthsarealsoputatriskofalifetimesideeffect: tardivedyskinesia,anincapacitatingmovementdisorder.

A2021studyshowedthatoverathirdof childrenunderMedicaidinfostercare werestillbeingprescribedpsychotropic drugsatahigheramountthannon-foster childrenunderMedicaid.

AfricanAmericanchildrenandyouthsrepresent23%ofthe fostercarepopulationyetcompriseonly14%oftheU.S.child andadolescentpopulation.

Aspartofthefostercare populationthesekids—some youngerthanfiveyears—areatrisk ofbeinggivenfiveormore psychotropicdrugsatatime.

CCHRsaysstrongoversightandpenaltiesareneededtoprotectfosterchildren.Whilechild abusecurrentlyencompassesfourcategories—neglect,physicalabuse,sexualabuse,and emotionalabuse—afifthcategoryshouldbeadded:prescribedpsychiatricdrugabuse.

Increasingthecriminalandcivil penaltiesforthosehighprescribers tovulnerablefosterchildrenisalso much-neededdeterrent,CCHR says.

FindOutMoreAthttps://www.cchrint.org