JKing (PRO)Ten to twenty years ago, it was a commonly accepted fact that psychiatric medications were overprescribed. Today, some doctors are making the argument that it is not a matter of overprescribing but underprescribing. The overprescribed argument comes from the fact that in 2017, 24.9% of all the people in the US, recieved prescriptions for one sort of psychiatric medication or another. Of those 81,249,147 Americans taking psychotropics, 2.6% of them are age 5 and below (622,723 kids under 5 on psychiatric medications) and 13.4% are age 6-17 (6,679,588). That is nearly 10% of all psychotropic drugs are prescribed to children. That is a total of 7,302,311 kids. (https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/people-taking-psychiatric-drugs/)
Such high rates of psychiatric medications being prescribed may be the result of many possible factors. One theory is the chemicals in the food we eat. This is not really testable, though it does have some reasonable aspects. The problem is that this theory is virtually untestable.
Another theory that can, and has been tested, is the effect that excessive digital/cell phone usage has on people. This has been proven to have a direct effect on our (as in people's) mental health. Still, most kids that are "suffering" from these "disabilities" have their cell phones (or other digital media) in front of them all the time. It is easier to just prescribe a pill, than to take away a cell phone, after all. That brings up another theory: discipline. I don't really know how to source a study on this, except many instances of experience. (There are many studies on what happens to kids who grow up without discipline, just not attributing to mental illness. It's called spoiled.) When parents continually give in and let their child dominate the decision making, it ultimately hurts the child much more in the long run. They don't know how to handle the World when things get tough. (Cause life IS tough!) Again, this isn't my main point, but it is important to mention.
Please read these next words carefully. When I say the current education system, I DO NOT MEAN INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS. (I strongly feel, for the most part, that teachers are highly underpaid!) I do not believe that teachers have any insidious intentions. With that being said, I feel that certain aspects of our current education system shares a heavy responsibility in this equation.
The pharmaceutical industry, in 2017, spent $279.57 Million dollars on lobbying in Washington. That is a VERY disturbing number! The federal government now controls our education system. (A job that was initially suppose to be left to each state.) We still have a state level governing body, but the federal government makes the decisions now, thanks to the funding they give. They bought primary control over our children! (If the state has a difference in opinion with federal, they are threatened with pulled funding.)
So, what we have is an industry built of many profitable companies paying the people that makes our nation's policies. From here, we "follow the money". The federal education department then allots a certain amount of the budgeted money to each state, based on a variety of criteria. The state then allots money to each school district, then the individual school.
There are many factors used, including "emotional or mental disabilities". Arizona offers $4,822 per student diagnosed with an emotional or psychological disability. Ohio pays out $3,849 per student. Each state has there own method of distribution, but almost all include allotments such as these. (http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbquest3D?rep=SD10) That is called INCENTIVES! Not only do the schools receive incentives, but the doctors do also. Doctors, from Aug 2013 to Dec 2016 received $9.15 Billion dollars in "disclosed" kickbacks.
Again, I want to stress, I am not laying this responsibility on teachers, but on those who are making OUR children profitable.
- Teachers are taught to look for certain characteristics.
- They turn them over to some sort of "behavioural" board.
- Parents are contacted to explain that the signs of a condition are present.
- Professional psychiatric help is recommended.
- Doctor gives a diagnosis. (Because they don't not.) Then recommends treatment, usually involving medication. (If not at first, it will come eventually)
There is too much corruption at certain points in this chain. Somehow we have to fix this to help our children. They are NOT dollar signs, and they are being harmed on many levels because of our blind trust of the people cashing in on our kids.
Return To Top | Posted:
2019-02-23 11:55:37
| Speak Roundcaelan (CON)Round Forfeited
Return To Top | Posted:
2019-02-26 11:56:03
| Speak Round