Everyday Canadian Overmedicated Children are in Danger to be Permanently Disable or to Die!
Canadian children
are in complete danger because they are being drugged and overmedicated leaving
their lives destroyed forever, in a much larger game of money and more money. And
yet, despite these dangers, private practitioners and specially officials from public
schools actually working with government agencies are forcing and persuading parents
to drug their children, threatening those who refuse with the prospect of
having their children taken from the home unless they cooperate.
American children are increasingly being prescribed behavior-altering
drugs. Medications for emotional and behavioral problems are prescribed
to 7.5 percent of children aged 6 to 17, with those from poor families
more likely to be on some type of medication. While evidence-based
alternatives are available, drugs are often easier, offering a
quick-fix. RT's Lindsay France discusses what this means for America and
its children with Dr. Galina Mindlin, author of "Your Playlist Can
Change Your Life."
Thank you for your documentary. Unfortunately, what you speak is the truth. I am a social worker and have been working in therapeutic foster care services for a few years. I have also worked in The Department of Social Services. The system, as you stated is broken. Social Workers have extremely large caseloads and unfortunately the time and effort that it takes to advocate for these children is not afforded to these social workers. I work with foster parents on a daily basis. All of them have children who are on medications to say at least 4 or 5. Most of all of them are Depakote, Abilify, Ritalin, Cogentin, and the list goes on. Some of the children are like zombies. They have goals but unfortunately, they cannot focus on their goals because of the side effects. Some of the side effects causes distractibility, aggression, many physical side effects, as well as, emotional disturbances. Foster parents are encouraged to try behavioral management and try trauma therapy before the medications. However, most children are already put on medications before they come into care. The challenge is finding foster parents who are willing to take the time to teach, advocate, learn new ways of interventions and coping skills to teach to the children. Many of them suggest they do not get paid enough and/or they have their other job as well. Simply they do not have the time. This is also coupled with the fact that they have to implement shared parenting with biological parents/family members, attend trainings, appointments, inspections, etc. We have special parents that go above and beyond and we value those parents but they to, get burned out. There are so many challenges and barriers in the system. It is overwhelming just to think about them and like me, when you work in it daily one can't help but feel helpless. However, there is hope. As long as, we have individuals who are passionate and who are willing to accept change; there lies hope. Otherwise, we will become stagnant, just going to work to do our jobs and returning home, while hundreds of thousands of children are left to a system who does not take the time to understand them but simply pass them off as the number of beds they can fill. Imagine a child 15 years old but has moved 16 times. What can be done about it? What do you think his/her behaviors will be like? He/She is now on 10 different medications. He/She is in a stable home but will she ever reach her full potential? Will her foster parents be able to handle her if the doctors every took her off all those medications? Do they even want to? These are the questions we face everyday. It is hard for me to build a rapport with my older children 17 and 18 year olds. They have told me several times; they have too many workers and we are all on the same side. So eventually, they shut down and become withdrawn or they just go along with things without sincerity. In other words, they play the game. Sadly, they are right. In this field, the turnover rate is extremely high and social workers are constantly moving around, many of them to save themselves from a nervous breakdown. So reflecting on a comment you made in your documentary, how can we keep from pushing children through a continuum of brokenness? One child at a time.
