Yet Another Horror Story About — Over-medicating OUR Kids

In February, 2006, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration announced a contract with the University of South Florida to study the use of antipsychotics on children in Florida’s Medicaid system. Antipsychotics are easily the most destructive chemicals used on the human brain. These substances were originally marketed as a “lobotomy in a bottle”.

It is outrageous that more than 50% of these meds are used off label on children who are wards of the State of Florida..

The press release (see below link) says that in 2005, close to 18,000 children were prescribed antipsychotics and more than 475,000 prescriptions for antipsychotic drugs were written in the past 5 years.

Strayhorn investigation in Texas where more than half the foster children getting antipsychotics had no psychiatric diagnosis whatsoever. These were just “bad kids”.

The kids in Florida all have “labels”. It is unclear from this report just who validated these diagnoses. Armchair psychiatric labeling has become a cottage industry in this country. I suspect the majority of these “labels” are likely ad hoc in nature.

About Allen Jones.
Worked as an investigator in the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General (OIG), who gained widespread attention as a ‘whistleblower’ after voicing concerns about attempts by the pharmaceutical industry to implement a mental health screening plan, based on the controversial Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP),in Pennsylvania. Subsequently, TMAP has been recommended as a model for use throughout the United States by the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, a panel whose members were hand picked by George W. Bush.

In 2002, Jones discovered evidence of payments, primarily from Pfizer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, into an off-the-books account, earmarked for educational grants to be doled out in Pennsylvania. Jones’ investigation revealed Janssen paid government officials who influenced decisions over which drugs were prescribed in prisons and mental hospitals. Pennsylvania is now among about a dozen states using medical algorithm formularies modeled after TMAP.

Jones exposed this breach of public trust. This resulted in the indictment of Pennsylvania official Steven Fiorello, former Chief Pharmacist and Head of the state drug formulary committee. Fiorello was indicted on felony and misdemeanor charges for his conflicts of interests with drug companies and was charged with other ethics violations for accepting “educational grant money” and failing to disclose the payments.

Fiorello used his position to get consulting work with makers of antidepressant pills, the indictment handed up yesterday said.

In May, 2004 the British Medical Journal reported Jones was escorted out of his workplace on April 28, 2004, after OIG officials accused him of talking to the press. Jones was relieved of his duties because he breached OIG guidelines that no worker may report confidential data. Jones indicates he chose to disclose his findings to the press precisely because of corrupt behavior by OIG officials themselves, alleging the OIG’s policy was “unconstitutional.”

Allen Jones writes:

In February, 2006, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration announced a contract with the University of South Florida to study the use of antipsychotics on children in Florida’s Medicaid system. The press release, see below link, says that —

In 2005, close to 18,000 children were prescribed antipsychotics and more than 475,000 prescriptions for antipsychotic drugs were written in the past 5 years.

The study, done by USF’s Florida Mental Health Institute is now complete.

See page 22, it breaks down the age groups:

Age 0 to 5 – 53.8% of the antipsychotics were prescribed for ADHD

Age 6 to 12 – 48.8% of the antipsychotics were prescribed for ADHD

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File Name: Florida Antipsychotic Report – October 2007.pdf

 

The Florida report can be accessed here.

http://psychrights.org/States/Florida/FloridaantipsychoticreportOctober2007.pdf

The Fiorello link can be accessed here.

http://psychrights.org/Articles/EPringle6-18-07NoZyprexaMedGuide.htm

The information herein shall not be considered an endorsement of anyone discontinuing psychiatric drugs. If you are stopping taking medication it is advisable to reduce the dose gradually WITH EXTREME CAUTION, as it is difficult to predict who will have problems withdrawing. It is worth getting as much information and support as you can, and involving your doctor wherever possible. You will find withdrawal information here: http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Making+sense/Making+sense+of+coming+off+psychiatric+drugs.htm

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WITHDRAWAL:: Get Peter Lehmann’s book, Coming off Psychiatric Drugs: Successful Withdrawal from Neuroleptics, Antidepressants, Lithium, Carbamazepine and Tranquilizers. This valuable resource comes in US, UK, and German editions.

I, Kathleen Maire Hill, present this information in my capacity as a natural person, exercising my natural rights and freedoms. This information represents my private thoughts and beliefs and has been compiled and expressed for educational purposes only. In no way should it be construed as either legal or financial advice.

 

“Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand” : Bodie Thoene

“Then what is freedom? It is the will to be responsible to ourselves.”
Friedrich Nietzsche – (1844-1900) – Source: Twilight of the Idols, 1888