Commentary

I reviewed Aprill's discussion of HB 915 in her latest blog. This bill requires that foster children have guardian consent before being placed on psychotropic medication. This is a topic that had honestly never crossed my mind; what happens to foster kids who need medication? Foster children or not, I feel that doctors and parents now days are quick to put their children on medication, without acknowledging if there’s a deeper problem, or a different way to fix it without drugs. Especially, it seems with all of these medications there are always serious side effects, like suicide. How is that helping? But the doctors and drug companies are benefiting from administering these drugs. Also, Aprill brings up that it was reported that one child was receiving 11 different medications. That seems a bit over-the-top and unnecessary. As far as educating these children about the drugs they are taking, they might not fully understand the risks or even the reason why they have to take them in the first place, but I think it doesn’t hurt to try and help them understand. Overall I think this is an interesting topic that needs to be discussed.