Bonners Ferry, ID -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/18/2011 -- "In the past half century, the use of psychotropic medications has grown dramatically, with the biggest rise in usage over the past 15 years.

Currently, for example, about 11% of the US adult population uses anti-depressant medication,” Sinsheimer M.D., explained on Lon Woodbury’s Internet Talk Radio Show “Parent Choices for Struggling Teens” on November 7, 2011 on LATalkRadio at http://www.latalkradio.com.” In recent years, that explosion in the use of psychiatric medications has trickled down to younger populations in the US as well.”

“The motive for medicating both adults and teens has always been to help,” said Sinsheimer, “but other societal factors have also contributed to this rapid increase including: the low cost of medication in comparison to other treatment modalities, the intersection between psychiatric diagnosis/labeling via the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) and third party payments, the decision of Congress to allow commercial advertising for prescription medications. In addition, prevailing societal attitudes have played a role as Americans look for quick fixes to emotional and life problems. The medicalization of our emotional states has led to over-diagnosis of mood and other psychiatric disorders, and to the use of these diagnostic labels as excuses for dysfunctional behaviors.”

Sinsheimer noted that “Medications are inevitably accompanied by side effects such as weight gain, the blunting of both positive and negative emotions, and movement disorders, to name only a few of the most important. These side effects can in some ways be worse for adolescents, who have more fragile self esteem and whose developing brains may be negatively impacted by the long term use of mind altering drugs. In addition, teaching adolescents to use legal drugs to alter their emotional states can promote the idea that this should be the norm—which can give teenagers a ready excuse for their use of illegal drugs for the same purpose. With the proliferation of information on the Internet, adolescents are learning how to manipulate doctors in order to obtain prescriptions for anti-depressants, anxiolytics, and ADHD medications—which they may simply sell or trade for illicit drugs.”

She warned against over-reliance on DSM diagnoses, since these constructs were designed as descriptors to aid in professional communication.” For example, the constellation of signs of depression MAY be a sign of a “chemical imbalance, but it may also be a sign of a rational response to a bad situation. Adolescents who are engaging in self-defeating behaviors are usually both depressed and anxious; both of these emotional responses may simply be indicators that behaviors need to change, and usually become manageable as the adolescent functions better.”

Sinsheimer concluded by summarizing the experience at John Dewey Academy,”… where students do better—and feel better—when they are weaned off their medications in combination with a positive peer culture and high academic and therapeutic standards.” She mentioned the increase in self esteem when students realize they don’t need to be medicated in order to be OK.

To listen to the full interview go to Medications: Are We Turning Our Kids Into Mental Patients? on LATalkRadio at http://www.latalkradio.com/Players/Lon-110711.shtml.

Lon Woodbury is the owner/founder of Woodbury Reports Inc. and http://www.strugglingteens.com. He has worked with families and struggling teens since 1984 and is the host of Parent choices for Struggling Teens http://www.latalkradio.com/Lon.php on LATalkRadio Mondays at 12:00 Noon, Pacific Time, Channel One, immediately after Allen Cardoza’s Answers4theFamily show.

Lisa Sinsheimer M.D. is a psychiatrist and is the Parent Coordinator, Admissions Director and Clinical Consultant for John Dewey Academy, a therapeutic boarding school in Massachusetts.

About Woodbury Reports
Woodbury Reports was founded in November 1989, by Lon Woodbury, MA, IECA, CEP, as an Independent Educational Consulting firm to help parents of teens making poor decisions select a private, parent choice program that would help return the family to normalcy. Through interviews with parents, communication with professionals who know your child well, and then thoroughly researching viable options, we can help parents make the right choices that will help your child get back on the right path. For more information about Woodbury Reports Inc., call 208-267-5550, or email to lon@woodbury.com, or visit the web site http://www.strugglingteens.com.