Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Study Shows Most Northwest Preschoolers Cared for by Kaiser Permanente Who Get Psychiatric Medication Have Severe Behavioral Problems
PR Newswire story at Yahoo - "Researchers at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland have found that 2 percent of Northwest preschoolers ages 2 to 5 enrolled in Kaiser Permanente had been diagnosed with symptoms of one or more emotional or behavioral disorders. Of the 743 youngsters with such a diagnosis, one in six (120) had been prescribed a psychiatric medication, such as Ritalin." The lead author of the study is quoted as saying that this appears to be "the first study that directly links medications received by preschool children with their mental health diagnoses and behavioral symptoms, and with the kinds of treatment they received."