Prescribing
the American Dream
Wash your face.
Brush your teeth.
Get dressed.
Eat your breakfast.
Pack your bag.
Take your prescription
drugs.
Go to school.
Sound
familiar? Maybe not to those of us who have grown up outside of the United States,
but to the millions of children living in the ‘Land of the Free’ that is
exactly what their daily morning routines consist of. CCHR International, a
mental health watchdog, reported almost 8,500,000 American children aged 0-17
were being prescribed with psychiatric drugs. 11% of American children aged
between four and 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD, with more than 6% taking
medication.
It
is not only the quantity of children diagnosed that is alarming, but also the
rate of increase of those diagnosed. Go back to 1997 and only 3% of American
children had been diagnosed with ADHD, a figure in line with previous averages.
Between 1997 and 2003, the number of those diagnosed increased by 3% each year.
Between 2003 and 2007, cases increased by 5.5% each year. This increased to 16%
between 2007 and 2013. Clearly those drugs that are being prescribed are
working wonders…
Now
don’t mistake my sarcasm for naivety. Before changing careers I was a youth
worker for 5 amazing years, working with young people from all walks of life.
My most sacred memories are taking disadvantaged youth from inner city Boston,
many suffering from mental health issues, and working with them in the
picturesque woods of Maine. I know from first-hand experience that sometimes
medication can work wonders in enabling a young person to battle whatever
demons they may face. In the right context I do not dispute that medication can
play an invaluable role in helping someone overcome his or her issues. But in
America it has become the easy option, the ‘go to’ for doctors when faced with
a hyperactive or distracted child. Prescription drugs now seem to be the number
1 option in helping young American youth fight mental health issues.
The
inspiration for this article was a new song ‘Kevin’ by the US rapper Macklemore
(ft Leon Bridges), aimed at the dependency of American youth on medication, the
lyrics sung including ‘‘Can’t cure my disease, without killing me’’. Therein
lies the paradox, the necessity of using medication to help fight mental health
issues, yet you must then fight to rid yourself of the medication.
It
is a thought-provoking line. What the billion-dollar drug industry doesn’t
mention on the stickers of those orange, white-capped bottles is the
classification the US Drug Enforcement Administration gives the majority of
their stimulants. Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse and Concerta among many others are
classified as Schedule II stimulant drugs which have a ‘’high potential for
abuse’’ and have the potential to lead ‘’to severe psychological or physical
dependence’’. Now combine the devastating potential these medications pose with
the knowledge that across America thousands of doctors are conducting short,
uninformative tests and subsequently prescribing millions of children with these
powerful and dangerous pills. It is nothing short of a drug-infused cocktail
for disaster.
What
happened to children and adolescents simply exhibiting a range of behaviours
because they are mentally and emotionally developing? Do these pills really hold
the answer to all of these children’s ‘’behavioural issues’’? Our teenage years
are perhaps the most emotionally confusing years of our lives. In the past
society accepted this for what it was, an emotionally volatile and
unpredictable time. Forget for a moment the ridiculous numbers presented
earlier. You should see the jaw-dropping changes in a teenager’s personality
when they take medication like xanex. It’s truly heart breaking to watch their
personality literally slip away, their mannerisms disappearing, to be replaced
with a frighteningly placid, humourless shell of a human being. In the aforementioned song, Macklemore
perhaps again puts it best describing his friend as ‘‘walking around the city,
looking like a mannequin’’. This friend died from a prescription drug overdose.
Seems the DEA were right about those drugs having a high potential for abuse
and dependence.
This
is an issue the World Health Organisation reported as threatening the
achievements of modern medicine, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
classified as an epidemic, and killing more people than car accidents every
year. When are we going to stop taking the lazy, ‘easy’ route, and stand up to
protect our children and young people? Pharmaceutical companies need to be held
accountable, doctors need to be monitored and supported in providing
alternative approaches, parents need to be educated and youth need to be better
engaged and understood. America, it’s time to start rethinking your approach to
diagnosing and dealing with mental health issues, and to stop simply trying to
prescribe doses of the American Dream.
