The "crime" in question is throwing antipsychotic drugs -- particularly off label concoctions meant for adults -- at kids, with horrifying, deadly results, and the subject of three must-read articles in this morning's USA Today (free links below).
A USA Today investigation, using FDA data, blamed the deaths of 45 children between 2000-04 on the use of atypical or off-label medications as well as more than 1,300 cases of side effects including some that were life-threatening (low white blood cell counts, convulsions).
No surprise, the children described in these articles improved once they were weaned off these dangerous drugs. In one-heart-breaking story, a troubled Texas boy was prescribed three deadly drugs -- Risperdal, Lithium and Seroquel -- then two mood stabilizers at the same time. Along with those drugs came tremors, thyroid problems and an abnormally low white blood cell count.
Today, the boy is off all but one drug and the drug-related symptoms are gone. The treatment: Intensive non-drug behavior-management therapy for the entire family to help them handle the young boy's problems. By the way, he made the honor roll his first semester too...
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, once conventional medicine consciousness evolves, they will look at the current standard of care of prescribing anti-psychotic drugs to kids as equivalent to tobacco companies advertising cigarettes in professional medical journals. This is one of the most outrageous assaults of contemporary medicine on our culture.
Just because doctors are totally clueless as to the cause of this behavior, they feel it is justified to put chemicals that in no way shape or form address the cause but can serve as a temporary band-aid at the expense of causing irreparable harm or damage to these innocent children.
I have treated many thousands of children with ADHD and autism and have seen nearly all of them improve. Many completely normalize, once we addressed the underlying causes, which are almost always related to these factors:
USA Today May 2, 2006
USA Today May 2, 2006
USA Today May 2, 2006