Meds More Common In Kids Living Away From Relatives

Children living in group homes, institutions or foster homes are far more likely to be taking psychiatric drugs than those living with family, according to a study released Thursday from the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The study looking at use of psychiatric drugs among children in state care was conducted following the suicide of a boy in foster care who was taking mental health drugs without the necessary approval of a parent or a court.

Findings from the study indicate that 21 to 26 percent of the state’s children living in foster care or other institutional environments take psychiatric medication compared with just 4.3 percent of children who live with family members.

Those numbers become even more divergent as kids age. Of Floridians ages 13 to 17 who live in state care, 33 to 35 percent are prescribed such drugs compared to 11.8 percent of those living with family, reports The Miami Herald.