More Children Taking Psychiatric Medications - HealthyPlace Mental Health Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Record Numbers of Children Taking Psychiatric Medications
• Share Your Mental Health Experiences
• "Recovering From A Relationship With A Narcissist" On HealthyPlace TV
• New From HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Coaching Children To Confidently Adapt To The Challenges Of Change

Record Numbers of Children Taking Psychiatric Medications

Growing Numbers of Children Getting Antipsychotics and Diabetes Medications

Psychological issues and youth obesity were the biggest contributors to that, according to the 2010 Medco Drug Trend Report. Medco Health Solutions is a pharmacy benefit manager, with the nation's largest mail-order pharmacy operations.

Medco reports that 2009 also ushered in new indications to existing psychiatric medications and other drugs that traditionally treat adult diseases:

• Abilify — for irritability associated with autistic disorder in children aged 6 to 17
• Seroquel — for schizophrenia in children aged 13 to 17, and for acute manic episodes in children aged 10 to 17 with bipolar I disorder
• Zyprexa — for schizophrenia and for acute mania (bipolar I) in children aged 13 to 17
• WelChol, Crestor — for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol reduction in children aged 10 to 17 with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia
• Atacand — for hypertension in children aged 1 to 17
• Axert — for acute treatment of pediatric migraine
• Protonix — for erosive esophagitis in patients aged 5+

Prescription medication use rose nearly 5 percent in children in 2009, four times higher than the growth in medication use in the general population. The drug categories showing the most significant growth among children are diabetes, ADHD, antipsychotics, asthma and heartburn medications. ADHD drug use surged 9.1 percent; children's use was up, but the largest increase was among young adults 20-34.

One thing that's helped contain rising costs is the number of medications that have gone from branded to generic. Adderall XR, Topamax, Depakote, Neurontin and Lamictal are included here. In the next 3 years, Medco says some of the blockbuster drugs, like Effexor XR and Lexapro, will be going generic providing more cost savings. And getting your medications via mail order is another way the health plans are saving significant money. The number of people doing that has risen substantially.

Mental Health Experiences

Share your thoughts/experiences on the rising number of children receiving psychiatric medications, the costs of psych meds, or any mental health subject, or respond to other people's audio posts, by calling our toll-free number (1-888-883-8045).

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You can listen to what other people are saying by clicking on the gray title bars inside the widgets located on the "Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences" homepage, the HealthyPlace homepage, and the HealthyPlace Support Network homepage.

If you have any questions, write us at: info AT healthyplace.com

"Recovering From A Relationship With A Narcissist" On HealthyPlace TV

For many people involved in an intimate relationship with a narcissist, trying to recover from the aftermath can be very difficult. To learn why this is and the steps to recovery, watch this week's HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show.

Watch the interview with our guest, Sam Vaknin, author of Malignant Self Love: Narcissism Revisited, currently featured on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show website until next Wednesday; on-demand here after that.

• For extensive information on narcissism, narcissists, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder, visit Sam Vaknin's website.

Next Week on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show

• Adult ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment: Reasons Why Sometimes, Things Go Very Wrong

If you would like to be a guest on the show or share your personal story in writing or via video, please write us at: producer AT healthyplace.com

For previous HealthyPlace TV archived shows.

From HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

Your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Bipolar Depression Has Nothing to Do With Lack of Gratitude (Breaking Bipolar Blog)
• Anxiety Management: The Key Signs of Stress and Panic (Treating Anxiety Blog)
• Adult ADHD: Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy Proven Effective (ADDaboy! Adult ADHD Blog)
• Communicating With Your Child's Psychiatrist (Life with Bob: A Parenting Blog)
• From Trauma to DID: The Age Factor (Dissociative Living blog)
• The Balancing Act of a Working Mother (The Unlocked Life Blog)
• Video: Why People With a Mental Illness Should See Their Doctor
• ADHD Goofs: Stand Up and Take a Bow
• Bipolar Child and Parents Survive First Week Of School
• Love and DID: Sometimes More is Less
• Use Anxiety to Your Advantage: Healing Stress, Panic and Trauma

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

Coaching Children To Confidently Adapt To The Challenges Of Change

A parent writes into "The Parent Coach," Dr. Steven Richfield:

"Our kids avoid change and shun anything new. They are both getting ready to start new schools and we don't know how to help them."

If you find yourself in a similar situation where your children have difficulty adapting to change, here's Dr. Richfield's advice.

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