OKLAHOMA CITY -- An increasing number of children in Oklahoma state custody are taking prescription medications for behavioral issues. News Channel 4 obtained internal documents about the number of children who are taking powerful anti-psychotic drugs.
In 2007, the state filled 15,335 prescriptions for anti-depressants for foster kids; more than 16,568 prescriptions for anti-psychotic medication and 17,425 scripts for ADHD.
Clarance Cooper's 8-year-old daughter is in state custody. He says she was forced to take prescription drugs for a disorder called Opposition Defiance Disorder. Cooper refused to allow the state to medicate his daughter. He says DHS ignored his wishes and asked a judge to sign off on the mediation.
Cooper says, "If a child is in authentic need of medication then no parents should argue with that; no good parent would argue that. But if they're wanting to administer behavior modification drugs simply to bring them under more manageable control because a kid is screaming for mom or dad or family, that is not the right reason to give a child a drug."
In the past year, there were 28 infants on powerful psychotic drugs. 122 children, only 3 years old, were prescribed medicine for their behavior. In fact, one in five kids under the age of 16 are on behavioral drugs.
One of the anti-depressants foster children are taking is Paroxetine. In Europe, Paroxetine has a warning label on it warning that it should not be used in children. According to DHS records, there are hundreds of children taking Paroxetine.
Former foster child, Jeanette McCrary, says she was prescribed and forced to take three different medications for depression, anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
McCrary says, "I had a worker at one of the group homes I was in as a teen who said the medicine made me worse. She said I was violent when I was on medication and I actually asked them to take me off and they refused."
Doctors say this group of kids may be highly medicated because they don't come from safe healthy homes. They say they are more likely to have mental illness because of difficult circumstances.
However, critics speculate foster kids are highly medicated because the state is motivated to keep foster children medicated. Critics believe the state tries to push medicine because it increases the chances a child will be given the "Therapeutic Foster Care" status. The "Therapeutic Foster Care" distinction allows the state to collect more money from the federal government for the care of those children.
Doctor Brent Bell says, "There's different levels of foster care. Regular and Therapeutic. Therapeutic foster care is a higher level of foster care. I think that does carry a higher reimbursement."
However, the state says those children are more expensive to care for, so the state does not benefit financially from the distinction. The state denies any financial motivation for medicating children.
According to the Drug Utilization Board, Oklahoma is not doing any better or any worse than any other state in the country. Bell says, "We're about midway nationwide. So, about half the states' children probably get more medication and about half get less (than Oklahoma children)." Whether Oklahoma kids get more medication or less medication, the taxpayers are paying the bill. State tax dollars pay for about 25% of the cost of children's medication. Federal dollars pay for about 75%.
In 2007, the state filled 15,335 prescriptions for anti-depressants for foster kids; more than 16,568 prescriptions for anti-psychotic medication and 17,425 scripts for ADHD.
Clarance Cooper's 8-year-old daughter is in state custody. He says she was forced to take prescription drugs for a disorder called Opposition Defiance Disorder. Cooper refused to allow the state to medicate his daughter. He says DHS ignored his wishes and asked a judge to sign off on the mediation.
Cooper says, "If a child is in authentic need of medication then no parents should argue with that; no good parent would argue that. But if they're wanting to administer behavior modification drugs simply to bring them under more manageable control because a kid is screaming for mom or dad or family, that is not the right reason to give a child a drug."
In the past year, there were 28 infants on powerful psychotic drugs. 122 children, only 3 years old, were prescribed medicine for their behavior. In fact, one in five kids under the age of 16 are on behavioral drugs.
One of the anti-depressants foster children are taking is Paroxetine. In Europe, Paroxetine has a warning label on it warning that it should not be used in children. According to DHS records, there are hundreds of children taking Paroxetine.
Former foster child, Jeanette McCrary, says she was prescribed and forced to take three different medications for depression, anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
McCrary says, "I had a worker at one of the group homes I was in as a teen who said the medicine made me worse. She said I was violent when I was on medication and I actually asked them to take me off and they refused."
Doctors say this group of kids may be highly medicated because they don't come from safe healthy homes. They say they are more likely to have mental illness because of difficult circumstances.
However, critics speculate foster kids are highly medicated because the state is motivated to keep foster children medicated. Critics believe the state tries to push medicine because it increases the chances a child will be given the "Therapeutic Foster Care" status. The "Therapeutic Foster Care" distinction allows the state to collect more money from the federal government for the care of those children.
Doctor Brent Bell says, "There's different levels of foster care. Regular and Therapeutic. Therapeutic foster care is a higher level of foster care. I think that does carry a higher reimbursement."
However, the state says those children are more expensive to care for, so the state does not benefit financially from the distinction. The state denies any financial motivation for medicating children.
According to the Drug Utilization Board, Oklahoma is not doing any better or any worse than any other state in the country. Bell says, "We're about midway nationwide. So, about half the states' children probably get more medication and about half get less (than Oklahoma children)." Whether Oklahoma kids get more medication or less medication, the taxpayers are paying the bill. State tax dollars pay for about 25% of the cost of children's medication. Federal dollars pay for about 75%.
