Drugs misused on foster kids

August 13, 2009 Abuse, Antidepressants, Antipsychotic, Big Pharma, Drug-induced suicide, FDA, Fraud, News, Psychiatry, Psychotropic drugs No Comments

BY CAROL MARBIN MILLER
cmarbin@MiamiHerald.com

Admitting for the first time what critics have claimed for years, state child-welfare authorities say caregivers for children in state custody frequently use powerful mind-altering drugs to manage unruly kids, rather than treat their anger and sadness.A panel of child-welfare experts, including two top administrators from the state Department of Children & Families, examined the death of a 7-year-old Broward foster child who was on psychotropic medications — without the required consent — when he hanged himself in a Margate home.

The panel’s report, expected to be released publicly later this month, says child welfare authorities too often rely on the potent medications to manage abused and neglected children — but fail to offer psychiatric treatment to help them overcome the trauma they suffered.

Read the rest…

State officials investigating whether 7-year-old suicide victim was given mind-altering drug

April 28, 2009 Abuse, Antidepressants, Antipsychotic, Drug-induced suicide, FDA, Fraud, News, Psychiatry, Symbyax No Comments

By Jon Burstein
April 24, 2009

MARGATE – State officials are investigating whether a 7-year-old boy who hanged himself in his Margate foster home had been given a powerful, mind-altering drug in violation of Florida law.
gabrielmyers
Three weeks before his April 16 suicide, Gabriel Myers was prescribed the drug Symbyax, which is a combination of the generic forms of the anti-depressant Prozac and the anti-psychosis drug Zyprexa, according to state Department of Children & Families records released Friday night.

But there was no court order in place for Gabriel to use the drug, the records show. Under Florida law, parental consent or a judge’s ruling is needed before a foster child can be administered a psychotropic drug.

Read the rest…