Why is Your Doctor Getting Your Child Hooked on Unnecessary Drugs?

Unfortunately it is becoming more and more common to hear reports of how the pharmaceutical industry is manipulating scientific findings and in turn readily handing out prescriptions to children, often unnecessarily. The factor that seems to be driving this trend is very simply the almighty dollar. Keep reading to find out who is responsible for this recent trend, and why your doctor may be getting your child hooked on unnecessary drugs.

There seems to be no choice but for Americans to question the validity of the pharmaceutical-industrial complex and the desire of its leaders to prey on unsuspecting people with the ultimate goal of padding their pockets. It seems that this industry has joined with the mental health profession as well.

Who Is Responsible for Putting Children on Psychiatric Drugs?

When asking the question, “Who is responsible?” there is at least one name that stands out. Dr. Joseph Biederman of Harvard University is a world renowned child psychiatrist.  Biederman has received awards of excellence from both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He is on the editorial board of multiple journals, a reviewer for most of the psychiatric journals, and served as a grant reviewer in the Child Psychopathology and Treatment Review Committee of the NIMH.

Biederman is a very high-profile doctor that spear-headed the outbreak of children on psychiatric drugs. Biederman reportedly received $1.6 million from drug makers between 2000 and 2006. However, he failed to report most of this to his university, which may well have considered this to be a conflict of interest.

The New York Times recently reported that Biederman had informed Johnson & Johnson that he expected his anticipated research studies on its antipsychotic drug Risperdol to have favorable results. It was no surprise that it turned out just that way.

The Times reported that in 2005 Biederman suggested a study on adolescents using Johnson & Johnson’s ADHD drug Concerta, and that he assured the company the his findings would “extend to adolescents positive findings with Concerta.”

In 2006, Biederman was co-author of a study that reported that children that took Concerta for a prolonged period of time did not show reduced growth. This alleviated a serious concern about the medicine. However, that contradicts what is now known.

What Is The Result?

Between 2000 and 2005, ADHD drug prescriptions rose about 12 percent each year. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that nine percent of boys and four percent of girls in the United States are taking ADHD stimulant medications.

Can the American population really trust the allegedly “scientific” studies to allay their fears when it comes to the health and well-being of their children? Are the lives of the next generations worth so little that the pharmaceutical industry is willing to sacrifice them for the benefits of a financial nest-egg? Is this the one industry that is truly navigating the American population and economy?

You may want to take these things into consideration when you receive the next news break about the newest miracle drug and contemplate how it will affect you and your loved ones years down the road.