August 1, 2007 (HealthDay News) – New research has found that more than 80 percent of American children who visit a doctor for help combating sleep problems are given some form of prescription medication, despite the fact that no sleeping pills are currently approved for use in kids. In terms of therapies prescribed, the researchers found that 7 percent of the patients were recommended diet and nutritional counseling, while 22 percent were offered behavioral therapy. Mental health and stress management treatment was offered to 17 percent of patients.
By contrast, 81 percent of the children and teens were prescribed some sort of medication for their sleep issues. Dr. Gregg Jacobs, an insomnia specialist with the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass., said prescribing drugs often sidesteps the underlying causes of sleep trouble.
"Besides which, behavioral methods of treatment are extremely effective," added Jacobs. "So, why would you want to risk giving this medication to children, when they're probably not very effective and would be masking the real problem in any case? Sleeping pills should be a last resort. Children are in the golden years of sleep," he observed. "It's not normal for them to have sleep problems. So, if they do, then you know something's wrong. And medicating the child doesn't get to the heart of the problem. It's more important to figure out what's going on. Is it stress, caffeine or a problem in the home environment?"
Aw, c’mon doc; you know better than to think that Americans want to get to the real issue. We have diet pills for dogs, for Chrissakes. Take a Pill is going to replace E Pluribus Unum on the money soon.
We have a similar issue here that we had with the doggie diet pills yesterday. Classes of patients who have no control over their own destiny are being treated by people with no judgment. That’s a bad combination, and I wonder how long it will take before these sleeping pill babies develop some other malady? Things like this are perfect for predatory companies (like drug and tobacco companies) who rely on parents and pet owners who think they are doing the best thing for their loved ones. What they are really doing is taking the easy way out, which is always an easy sell, especially when you combine it with a dose of guilt and make it sound like you are taking care of something.
Screaming at the drug companies doesn’t help, because they figure that if they can get a child to start thinking that the answer is in a pill, then the adult marketing battle is over. The parents are already doped up and thinking that the answer is in drugs, so the kids are sitting ducks. By the time they’re 30, they’ll be taking cholesterol meds and diet pills because their diet stinks and they don’t get any exercise (and we don’t want to change that) and impotence meds because they don’t get enough sleep or exercise.
Think about the number of times you hear the phrase “quick and easy” in advertising. That’s the mantra of the drug companies.
Meanwhile, today’s children are doomed.
2 comments:
Thats what's wrong today. Kid is hyper? Give em a pill. Kid is out of control? Give em a pill. Kid is fat/can't sleep/acts out/can't spell give em a pill.
I'd give em a slap.
One reason I don't have kids: because I would punish them the way my parents punished me and apparently you can get hauled off to jail today for that. Not that I'd be as harsh. I believe leaving marks is abusive (what my dad used to do although he DENIES it. should have taken photos). I also believe in rewarding good behaviour, don't get me wrong.
I turned out fine after getting a good slap upside the head every now and then. Then again I learned to duck and run too haha.
I refuse to take pills unless I ABSOLUTELY have to. And that's not often.
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