Psychotropic Medications

In the debate about children and psychotropic medications, everyone is looking for better outcomes. Foster youth are seeking to assert more control over their lives and their health care, and they want people to understand that medications alone cannot fix the hurt they feel.

Few people outside of California probably noticed the news yesterday that the state legislature is on its way to passing new controls on the prescription of psychotropic medications to youths in foster care.

The reforms enshrined in a Los Angeles County blue ribbon commission report may be one step closer to reality with the recent appointment of a new child protection leader for the county.

This article is adapted from an earlier piece that ran in the San Jose Mercury News. By Adam Pertman and Graham Wright It is heartening to hear that California’s Legislature may finally address the chronic overuse of psychotropic medications for children in foster care in that state, a problem that unfortunately exists from coast to coast.