Prescription Guidelines for Children in Question

THE REPTILES WAY OF LIFE. HELLO, I'M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. DISCUSSION IS BREWING REGARDING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN. AFTER FLORIDA'S SURGEON GENERAL DOCTOR JOSEPH LADAPO RECOMMENDED NEW GUIDELINES. THE GUIDELINES CAUTION PROVIDERS FROM PRESCRIBING PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS TO CHILDREN. THE MEDICATIONS ARE PRESCRIBED TO KIDS TO TREAT SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND ADHD DOCTOR LADAPO IS ENCOURAGING PROVIDERS TO SPEND MORE TIME IN EVALUATING THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF A CHILD'S MENTAL HEALTH SAYING THAT SOCIETY OFTEN RELIES ON PHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS AS A FIRST-LINE RESPONSE IN A STATEMENT PROVIDED TO WGCU THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH STATED, QUOTE, THE SURGEON GENERAL BELIEVES IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENCOURAGE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND FAMILIES TO PERFORM EVIDENCE-BASED, NOT PHARMACOLOGIC TREATMENT OPTIONS. FIRST BEFORE PRESCRIBING MEDICATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT A CHILD'S DEVELOPING BRAIN AND NEUROLOGICAL GROVE. >> DOCTOR LISA FORTUNA, A PROFESSOR AND CHAIR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROSCIENCE IS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. RIVERSIDE JOINS US NOW WITH MORE ON THE NEW GUIDELINES. >> INTRODUCED BY FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL DR JOSEPH LADAPO, DR FOR TUNA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU. CAN YOU FIRST EXPLAIN WHAT OUR PSYCHO TROPIC MEDICATIONS? >> SO TAKE A TRIP IN MEDICATIONS ARE MEDICATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED. THROUGH RESEARCH IN NEUROSCIENCE TO TREAT. MENTAL DISORDERS LIKE. MAJOR DEPRESSION DISORDER, ANXIETY DISORDERS, ADHD AND OTHER OTHER DIAGNOSABLE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. >> HOW COMMON IS IT FOR CHILDREN TO BE PRESCRIBED THESE KINDS OF MEDICATIONS >> YOU KNOW, IT IS NOT ABSOLUTELY COMMON. ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO SAY IS THAT IN IN CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY, WE'RE TREATING MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS IN CHILDREN. IT'S PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION. AND SO IT OFTEN COMBINES PSYCHOTHERAPY PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS AND IN CHILDREN WHO MAY HAVE MORE SEVERE SYMPTOMS, WHERE THEY'RE EXPERIENCING DISABILITY BECAUSE OF MAJOR DEPRESSION OR NEAR A DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. WE WILL OFTEN USE MEDICATIONS TO BE ABLE TO SYSTEM IN IMPROVING THEIR DISORDER AND THEIR SYMPTOMS. AND AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT 5 TO 8% OF CHILDREN, PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, WARRANT THAT IN THE GENERAL POPULATION AND OBVIOUSLY IN CLINICAL SETTINGS THERE, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY IT MAY BE USED MORE BECAUSE CHILDREN ARE ACTUALLY MEAN THE THRESHOLD FOR SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOMS. >> AND WHEN WE SAY CHILDREN FOR PERSPECTIVE RIGHT NOW, WE'RE REFERRING TO KIDS AGES 5 TO 17 AND MANY KIDS DO TAKE ADHD MEDICATIONS. HOW COULD THIS IMPACT TREATMENT MOVING FORWARD FOR CHILDREN WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS? >> YOU KNOW, I MEAN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S OF CONCERN WITH THE REPORT IS THAT IT, YOU KNOW, THAT THE TITLE OF IT WAS BASICALLY AVOIDANCE OF PSYCHOTROPIC, SOME PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE TO TEMPER SORT OF, YOU KNOW, HOW WE LOOK AT THESE ISSUES VERY CAREFULLY. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IS YES, WE SHOULD AVOID MEDICATIONS WHEN NOT INDICATE. BUT IF WE THINK SOMETHING LIKE ATTENTION, DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AND WHERE SOME CHILDREN HAVE VERY SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOMS THAT IMPACT THERE. EDUCATIONAL TRAJECTORY. AND THEIR ABILITY TO DO THINGS THAT THEY HAVE TO DO IN TERMS OF AGAIN, ACADEMICS AND PROGRESSING IN THAT. AND WHAT WE RECOMMEND IS THAT MEDICATIONS ARE ASSESSED OF WHETHER THEY ARE APPROPRIATE AND PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING EDUCATIONAL PLAN, HOW TO HELP THEIR PARENTS AROUND BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS. >> AND WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL PERSPECTIVE ON HOW THESE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS COULD IMPACT MENTAL HEALTH CARE TREATMENT GOING FORWARD FOR CHILDREN IN FLORIDA. >> YEAH, I MEAN, ONE OF THE CONCERNS I HAVE IS. WHETHER THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME SO MOVING AWAY FROM PROVIDING MEDICATIONS BIKE. SEROTONIN. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TAKEN HITTERS SPECIFICALLY UPTAKE INHIBITORS THINGS LIKE FLOCKS OF SOME PROZAC THINGS THAT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, KNOW ABOUT OR EVEN ADHD MEDICATIONS WHEN IT'S REALLY INDICATED. AND I THINK ONE OF THE IMPORTANT ISSUES IS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE. MORE EDUCATION TO PROVIDERS SO THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND BEST PRACTICES OF PRESCRIBING AND BE ABLE TO HAVE PSYCHO EDUCATION AVAILABLE TO FAMILIES SO THAT THEY HAVE AWARENESS OF WHAT ARE THE RISKS AND BENEFITS AS WELL AS WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE BASE IN TERMS OF WHAT IS EFFECTIVE AND FOR WHAT AND WHAT MIGHT BE THE BEST OPTIONS FOR THEIR CHILD AND TO TALK WITH THEIR PROVIDERS ABOUT THAT. AND IN A VERY COMPREHENSIVE WAY, YOU KNOW AND TREATMENT NEEDS TO BE. AND, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALIZED AND BASED ON SCIENCE AND FAMILIES NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT. DISCUSSION WITH THEIR PROVIDERS AND MAKE A CHOICE. AND SO. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S OKAY TO HAVE GUIDANCE TO SAY WE SHOULD HAVE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENTS AND COMPREHENSIVE CARE BECAUSE THAT IS A GOOD AND RIGHT THING. AND SO I THINK STATES AND HOW SYSTEMS NEED TO SUPPORT THE POSSIBILITIES OF THAT HAPPENING. TO INCLUDE PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AS A EVIDENCE-BASED SCIENCE BASE OPTION. WHEN INDICATED. >> DR FORTUNA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EXPERTISE AND TAKING TIME TO SPEAK WITH US