Foster Youth and Drugs
The flaws with drugs in our foster system
The issue of drugs in our foster system has been a long-standing problem that is still causing disastrous effects on the children that have come out of the foster program. Since 2014, California has been working to limit the prescribing and misdiagnosing of drugs for foster youth, and the number of prescribed antipsychotic drugs has fallen.
In the articles “Drugging our Kids” by Karen De Sa and “Drugging our Kids: Big drop in drugged foster kids in California” by John Woolfolk, both authors explore the experiences, laws, and statistics of the foster youth experience with prescription drugs and misdiagnosing. Showing the lack of care for the trauma foster youth experience and the effects over-drugging has on the kids once they leave the foster program.
Misdiagnosis of Foster Youth
Misdiagnosis is a massive problem in the foster system, with hundreds of foster children five and under prescribed psychotropics. Even though federal health officials say these drugs are unsafe for very young children, other states strongly discourage this practice. Additionally, in the last ten years in California, at least 275 young children, on average, have been prescribed medication. (De Sa, 2014). This statement asserts the severity of this practice and the danger it is putting…