Despite the overwhelming joys of parenthood, sometimes this full-time job can provide you with just as much frustration. After all, your children are your life, but sometimes they can be a little too much to handle after a hard day at the office. Parents always deserve to take a break from sassy or ill-behaved little ones. Still, would you ever consider drugging your children to keep them quiet? Hopefully, you answered “no” to this question. Nevertheless, this is still a reality. As controversial and outrageous as it sounds, parents drugging children with medications to keep them quiet is nothing new, but doctors are particularly concerned about the potential side effects of some strong meds. So what the specific details about this problem? Let’s take a closer look and find out more.
Malicious Intent
Back in 2010, the Journal of Pediatrics published a research study revealing that, on a yearly basis, an estimated 160 cases where parents drug children take place. As part of the article, the author referred to this practice as malicious, a form of child abuse. After all, why would a loving parent purposefully feed over-the-counter prescriptions drugs to their little ones? According to Dr. Shan Yin (a pediatrician), this use of pharmaceuticals may be an unidentified form of endangerment or maltreatment.
Some of the most common medications recorded include analgesics, stimulants (including street drugs), hypnotics, sedatives, cough/cold meds, and antipsychotics.
Staggering Numbers
As part of his study, Dr. Shin discovered 1,439 cases (between 2000 and 2008) where children were drugged by their parents. Ultimately, 14% of cases resulted in severe injuries, while 18 children sadly died. Likewise, nearly 50% of the cases involved a minimum of one sedative (17 out of 18 deaths). Overall, Dr. Shin believes that the poison data has not been clear, meaning that scientists were not able to calculate the death toll properly.
Dr. Lawrence Diller (behavioral-developmental pediatrician in Walnut Creek, California) believes there is a fine line between helping a child and hurting them, particularly where drugs are concerned (perhaps even leading to addiction down the line).
Always remember that drugs do not have control over your life. You do. Are you suffering from a substance use disorder or a severe form of addiction? Do you have a friend or family member suffering from one or more of these debilitating illnesses? If you do, get in touch with Asana Recovery today. Our counselors and healthcare experts are ready to walk you through every step of the detox and withdrawal process and rehabilitation and guide you towards living a happier, healthier, and freer lifestyle. While the road to recovery might not be an easy road to travel, we promise to help you every step of the way. Take the first step to stay fit, healthy, and safe.
The time for you to take back control of your life is now. If you are interested in one of our residential treatment or supervised detoxification/withdrawal programs, we are ready and waiting to speak with you at your disclosure. Call Asana now at (949) 438-4504 to learn how to overcome your drug abuse or addiction troubles today.
