Researchers Study Prescription Rate of Psychotropic Drugs for Kentucky Kids

At-risk children in Kentucky are twice as likely to be prescribed psychotropic medications, according to a research team from the Child and Adolescent Health Research Design and Support Unity at the University of Louisville. According to Medicaid records, 14 percent of the 600,000 children receiving coverage in Kentucky have been prescribed antipsychotics, antidepressants, attention deficit disorder treatments, anti-anxiety medications or mood stabilizers. This is double the national rate of 7 percent. Notably, 42 percent of children in the foster care system were reported as having at least one prescription, compared to a national rate of 26.6 percent. The research team, operating on a grant from Passport Health Plan, has begun a three-phase plan to understand and evaluate these statistics in order to determine if the prescriptions were justified, or were caused by a lack of support resources within the healthcare system. Physicians who demonstrate higher rates of prescriptions will be questioned, and the results will determine whether the study will confirm the need for these drugs, or if proactive solutions should be proposed to alleviate this regional issue. To learn more about this study, click here.