Children in foster care use psychotropic drugs at an extremely high rate.
Researchers examined prescription claims data between September 1, 2004 -August 31, 2005 for children enrolled in Texas foster care. Of the 37,052 foster children aged 0-17 eligible for Medicaid during FY 2005, 12,842 (34.7 percent) received a psychoactive medication. The table below displays psychiatric medication use broken down by age.
Psychoactive Medication* Use in Texas Foster Care Children for FY 2005
Age |
Percentage |
---|---|
0-2 | 3.9% |
3 | 19.3% |
4-5 | 32.6% |
6-12 | 55.3% |
13-17 | 66.5% |
Tags:
Antipsychotic medication, Antidepressant medication, Stimulant medication, Children’s mental health, Foster care, Medicaid
Citation:
Texas Health and Human Services Commission. 2006. Use of psychoactive medication in Texas foster children, state fiscal year 2005.