Report: 1 in 13 U.S. Schoolkids Takes Psych Meds

Photo credit: Gatis Gribusts, Flickr

More than 7 percent of American schoolchildren are taking at least one medication for emotional or behavioral difficulties, a new government report shows.

Apparently, the medications are working: More than half of the parents said the drugs are helping their children, according to the report.

"We can't advise parents on what they should do, but I think it's positive that over half of parents reported that medications helped 'a lot,' " said report author LaJeana Howie, a statistical research scientist at the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.

Howie and her colleagues weren't able to identify the specific disorders the children were being treated for, although she said 81 percent of the children with emotional or behavioral difficulties had been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at some point in their lives.

http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/adolescents-and-teen-health-news-719/almost-1-in-13-school-kids-in-u-s-on-psychiatric-medication-687125.html

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