Seventy-Five Percent of Children in Broward County, Fla., Schools for ‘Emotionally Disturbed’ Prescribed Psychotropic Drugs

Three-quarters of the students enrolled in three special schools for "emotionally disturbed children" in Broward County, Fla., are taking "powerful" psychotropic drugs, many of which have not been proven safe or effective in children, the Miami Herald reports. An investigation by the county school board revealed that in one Ft. Lauderdale school, 107 of the 164 students had been prescribed "some type" of psychotropic drug, while 125 of 152 students at a Miramar school and 136 of 170 students at a Pompano Beach school had been prescribed the medicines as well. School board member Lois Wexler, who commissioned the report, said the numbers were "alarming," adding that she is "particularly concerned" about the use of atypical antipsychotics, such as Risperdal, Zyprexa and Seroquel, that have been prescribed to several children, many by school psychiatrists, at the three schools. Children's advocates have opposed the use of psychotropic drugs, calling them a form of "chemical restraint." Jack Levine, president of the Center for Florida's Children, said that he feels psychotropic drugs are used more for "convenience and simplicity" than to treat severe conditions. "No matter what the pharmacological justification is, or may be, this seems to be a move for simplistic solutions to complicated problems, for convenience and for savings. I'm afraid for the children, and frankly, I'm afraid for the parents," he said. Superintendent Frank Till called for the creation of a committee to draft a plan to monitor how medicines are prescribed to children in the three schools. The committee would produce quarterly reports on the issue (Miller, Miami Herald, 6/6).