Article of the Month
May 2004
Psychotropic Medications
During the School Mental Health
Training Series, numerous questions arose about medications. This month focuses
on medication for children with psychiatric disorders. Some articles will have
information on medications for specific disorders, albeit rather general.
Others will focus on the issues surrounding psychotropic medications in a
school setting.
The National Institute of Mental
Health has a booklet, Medications
that has good information in understandable language. There is also a
section on psychotropic medications for children about halfway through the
booklet.
New York University Child Study
Center has a Guide
to Psychiatric Medications for
Children and Adolescents. Its home web page, AboutOurKids.org
is a good web site for lots of helpful information. Click on the block on the
left side of the page, “Read Articles on Parenting and Mental Health.” At the
bottom of the next web page, type in “medication” in the search block and click
on “Go.” You will then get a listing of numerous articles on psychotropic
medications.
UCLA’s Center for Mental Health in
Schools has an excellent document (63 pages) on Students and
Psychotropic Medication. It includes a 2-page Question and Answer
section, sample policies and forms, and an extensive resource section.
McDowell
County Public Schools Medication Policy is an example of a school board
policy on the administration of medications at school.
Medication
and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a one
page brief from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Lessons Learned: Revisiting
Medication for Kids is written by the former president of the American Society
for Adolescent Psychiatry in 1996 about the use of psychotropic medications in
children and adolescents.
The Research and Training Center
on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health at Portland State University has
a an article that discusses some concerns about psychotropic medications called
Medications:
Another Issue of Concern. Reader responses are posted and you can
post your response, too.
The Center
for Health and Health Care in Schools recently published a 6-page fact sheet on
psychotropic drugs and children in school, Psychotropic Drugs
and Children: Use Trends and Implications for Schools (pdf). The
fact sheet describes the extent of emotional and behavioral health problems
among children, summarizes what we know about effective treatments, and
suggests what schools may do to safely dispense psychotropic medications during
the school day when they have been prescribed by a student's physician.