Proper mental health care is essential for anyone to thrive and grow. That is even more true for individuals who are either currently in foster care or have been impacted by foster care. Typically, some level of mental health care is required while in foster care, but the scope of that can vary greatly. There are a lot of scenarios where the quality of mental health care is subpar. This can take a plethora of forms, whether it’s unnecessarily prescribed medication or a needed medication that has an extremely high dosage prescribed. To make this situation more dire, the quality of psychologists and psychiatrists accessible with state Medicaid is usually not the best. It may deter many youth from attempting to access care at all.
Let’s fully break down precisely what is being discussed when we talk about youth being overprescribed medications and the harm it can cause. In that sense, knowing the most commonly prescribed types of medication and the effects of those medications is essential. The Imprint previously reported that, “a recent federal analysis of public insurance data found nearly half of all states prescribed psychiatric drugs to child welfare-involved youth at a rate of greater than 30%.” So, there is empirical evidence that an enormous number of current and former foster youth are being prescribed psychiatric drugs, but what kind of medication is being prescribed? According to ABC News, “children in foster care are more likely to take multiple antipsychotic medications for longer periods than any other group of children. These types of medications include stimulants, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers.” The article goes on to say that placing children on multiple types of these medications is not normal.
The dangers of antipsychotic polypharmacy are significant, including the increased risk of possibly toxic drug interactions, diabetes, and death. Outside of this, many people describe feeling different or not like themselves and lack of appetite while on these types of medications. In my personal experience, I was overprescribed medication while in care. I suffered a serious injury where my arm was sliced open to the bone, and thanks to the dulling of personality and cognition due to the medication, I was unfazed. I was conscious of what was happening but not able to express the proper fear and worry that one would have in that scenario. This is an extreme example, but it shows the dangers of the dulling effects of these medications.
Another issue facing youth is the lack of quality care. This is typically a result of the type of doctors that accept the kind of state insurance that many foster youth carry. In my experience, the mental health care providers that accept my insurance are usually pretty sketchy, so I usually opt for more trustworthy providers that I have to come out of pocket for. Situations like this can help to dissuade youth from accessing mental health care due to financial and other reasons. If someone doesn’t get the right vibes from a mental health provider, they are unlikely to trust them with their care. I personally have not pursued treatment with insurance-covered mental health providers due to similar concerns. I can’t imagine that I’m the only one among those who have experienced foster care who have had this happen to them.
Foster youth are facing an epidemic of inadequate and inaccessible mental health care treatment. Our brothers and sisters in care being prescribed incredibly high doses of medication that could cause them developmental harm, paired with the antipsychotic polypharmacy that is putting them at further risk only supports the point of this truly being an epidemic. States have long taken the village approach to raising youth in care, and it is now time for our villages to start genuinely looking out for us and reassess how mental health care is handled for youth in care.
