Medicated Youth: Problem or Solution?

Abstract

For years medication has become a normalized part of American Culture. Americans have begun to take medications for many different ailments, simultaneously even at times. The youth of our society have been of no exception to this shift in culture. With the idea of mental illness becoming less and less taboo, children are diagnosed with many mental illnesses and are often treated with medication. While some have grown accustomed to this idea of treating our youth with medication, many have become alarmed by it. The threat of unknown lasting consequences and harsh side effects have begun to instill fear in parents and professionals alike. So much so that countries such as Canada and Great Britain have begun to pass laws preventing children from being able to be prescribed certain more serious medications. Despite this fact there are many who stand by the effectiveness and safety of medication in treating mental illness in children claiming that it is unethical to deny children a treatment that is known to ease their suffering. However, there is much work being done to come up with a possibly even more effective form of treatment that combines medication with less invasive treatment options.