An interesting Op-Ed piece in the March 12, 2007 Boston Globe discusses the problem of psychological/psychiatric diagnoses—“sloppy labeling” of children (ADD, ADHD, Bipolar, Asperger’s, e.g.) that leads to behavioral control through medication.
Dr. Stephen Schlein, a clinical psychologist practicing in Massachusetts, writes: “The field of mental health has regressed in a most dramatic fashion. We now have a whole culture obsessed with diagnostic labels. The focus is on taking the right medicine, as opposed to a consideration of basic issues of psychology and human development.”
Dr. Schlein also comments: “Our society wants a quick fix for everything. Children and adults are diagnosed with mental disorders based on their behavior in a fast-paced world, and not on their personal internal world. One much-discussed scenario occurs when a child acts up in school, and the teacher or other school personnel suggests that the child has attention-deficit disorder and needs medicine. The ADD diagnosis is so prevalent today that it's losing its reliability as a useful diagnosis.”
This is a must-read article for parents whose children have been diagnosed with one of these conditions. As Dr. Schlein says, sometimes ”the diagnosis is part of the problem.” The Boston Globe Op-Ed piece is here.
In September 2004, the FDA issued "black box" warnings against using Prosac in young people. It was never approved for children, but was prescribed "off-label."
In 2005, the FDA recommended 'black box' warnings be placed on all antidepressant medications indicating that they may result in increased risk of suicidal tendencies in children and adolescents only. Now on its advisory committee’s recommendations FDA has proposed to include the 25-years-old adults in the warnings. Included in the warnings are Prozac and Zoloft.
The proposed labeling changes apply to the entire category of antidepressants, including Lexapro (Forest Laboratories Inc.), Paxil (GlaxoSmithKline PLC), Prozac (Eli Lilly and Co.) and Zoloft (Pfizer Inc.). Manufacturers of these medications will now had 30 days of time to submit their revised product labels to the FDA for review.
In May 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered drug makers on Wednesday to update existing black box warnings on their antidepressants, saying these medications need new warnings about increased risks of suicidal thoughts and behavior among young adults.
The agency recommended the so-called "black box warnings" about antidepressants and suicidal thoughts and behaviors that currently cover children and teens be expanded to include young adults up to age 24.
The move comes as a part of FDA’s actions involving use of antidepressants in children and young adults.
The US regulators asked the makers of 36 antidepressants to extend the existing black box warning to cover people ages 18 to 24 when they first use the drugs. The expanded warning would apply to adults during the first month or two of treatment with the drugs, the FDA said.
During initial treatment young adults on antidepressant medication face a substantial increased risk of experiencing suicidal tendencies (suicidal thinking and behaviour), the federal health regulator warned. The FDA’s recent announcement is a follow-up of recommendations made in December by its advisory committee. According to a federal advisory panel, which voted 6-2 to recommend the warnings, strong warning labels on antidepressants about suicide risk should be extended to include not only children and adolescents but also young adults.
Technorati tags: ADD, ADHD, Bipolar, Asperger’s
Protect your child from ADD & ADHD. Here you will find a collection of articles pertaining to children with ADD.Kids
Posted by: Sharon | March 23, 2007 at 05:19 AM