I hate to be the bearer of bad trends, but according to a report in Employee Benefits News, spending on prescription drugs for children through age 19 increased by 28% last year - a greater jump than for any other age group. In a recent e-Alert ("The P Word" 1/6/03), I told you about an announcement from the FDA, stating they had approved the use of Prozac for the treatment of depression and obsessive compulsive disorder in children aged 7 to 17. This new market for Prozac can only add to the upward spending trend for kids - especially in light of even more disturbing recent research from the University of Maryland at Baltimore showing that between 1987 and 1996 the number of U.S. children treated with psychiatric drugs TRIPLED. No surprise that the forecast is for continued growth. To make matters worse, an epidemic of diabetes over the next two decades is predicted by some health officials. The primary reason: the growing number of U.S. children who are overweight. Health benefit providers say they hope to reverse these trends by encouraging parents to set good examples with healthy lifestyles that promote wellness. I'm certainly all for that. But with a generation of overweight kids, many of whom take daily doses of Ritalin and Prozac (among other drugs for infections, allergies, asthma, etc.), and a growing number of doctors who reach for the prescription pad before the stethoscope - it's like a "perfect storm" of trends, each reinforcing the other to perpetuate a culture that relies on medications to solve problems. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
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