6.+The+Medicated+Child

THE MEDICATED CHILD []


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Americans are much more likely to take medication for illnesses than citizens of any other country in the world. In part, this reflects the affluence and wealth of the country, but it also reflects our medical style. Since we only pay medical providers when we are sick, they are likely to over prescribe medication. This means that we are much more likely to take a painkiller than go under timely physical therapy. This had been especially true of mental illnesses. 80 years ago, doctors would not have diagnosed mental illnesses as much, particularly for children. Over the past two decades, the diagnoses for ADHD, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders in children has increased dramatically. Preschoolers are the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical market and teenagers addicted to painkillers has increased fourfold since the mid-1980s. Over diagnosis and over medication are problematic for childhood mental illnesses because the patient does not have control of their medical decisions, there are not clear standards to diagnose mental illnesses, and there is no way to distinguish between normal adolescent behavior (tantrums, moodiness) and symptoms of mental illness. Do you think that children today are overmedicated? After watching the FRONTLINE documentary, //The Medicated Child//, and using two of the children profiled in the movie, state and defend your view. You may use your own personal experiences to make your point, but you must also reference the movie. Below is a suggested Paragraph Outline:

PARAGRAPH # 1: OVERMEDICATION: A PROBLEM?
 * Medication: Problem or Solution?
 * Why are children a special part of the problem?
 * Does medication make people healthier? Happier?

PARAGRAPH # 2: PROFILE 1
 * What is their diagnosis?
 * What medication are they taking?
 * What do they think about their condition? Treatment?
 * What do their parents think about their condition? Treatment?
 * What do you think their future will be like?

PARAGRAPH # 3: PROFILE 2
 * Same as Above
 * Compare the second child with the first one you chose.

PARAGRAPH # 4: WHAT SHOULD MEDICINE DO?



[|ADD / ADHD Medications: Are ADHD Drugs Right for You or Your Child?] [|Medication and Children: Use Caution, Not Overreaction]