Tardive Dyskinesia & Children

It seems that today's children are more medicated than ever before in history. Rates of autism have exploded since the 1970s, which many in the mental health field now attribute to the steep increase in environmental toxins. Meanwhile, a condition called "Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" (ADHD) has been targeted by the huge drug companies as a "cash cow;" convinced that ADHD is a form of mental illness.

Additionally, humans in general have, for generations - and particularly since the beginning of the Industrial Age - been forced to live in ways that are completely at odds with their biological and evolutionary tendencies. Since the rise of the Industrial Revolution, mental illnesses have been on the rise..

Chemical Child Abuse?

Drugs is an expedient way to deal with child behavior issues; such overuse of medications is to be expected in a highly dysfunctional society in which instant gratification is the rule. This was pointed out in an article published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 1991, in which the authors pointed out that, "Diagnosis and drug treatment of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents is impeded by a lack of standards and a lack of understanding of the differences between pediatric, adolescent, and adult psychiatry."

The authors go on to report that, "...neuroleptic, or antipsychotic, medications are narrowly used for psychotic disorders in adults, but in children and adolescents their use is more general...[but] despite this broader use, side effects associated with neuroleptic medications have not been investigated in children."

This is in fact a tragic truth; while neuroleptics are given to adults primarily for the treatment of schizophrenia, children are similarly treated for autism, Tourettes syndrome, ADHD and even mental retardation with such medications. The study upon which the article was based reported that tardive dyskinesia developed in 12 percent of at-risk patients. Although this study showed that the tardive dyskinesia symptoms were not associated with "neuroleptic treatment variables," children who did show symptoms were "more likely to have a family history of mental illness and significantly less likely to have a history of assaultive behavior."

Rates of Tardive Dyskinesia Among Young Persons

This can vary a great deal. Rates of tardive dyskinesia symptoms among juvenile psychiatric patients being treated in institutions with neuroleptic medications can range from as little as 1 percent in "controlled investigations" to as much as 20 percent. According to an article from 1993 published in the Journal of Childhood and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, symptoms of tardive dyskinesia can appear in children in as little as five months or as long as five years.

Withdrawal Symptoms?

It has also been suggested that tardive dyskinesia symptoms may arise in part as a result of withdrawal symptoms. A more recent study from the late 1990s reports that a large percentage of patients with childhood-onset schizophrenia suffered from tardive dyskinesia and experienced "withdrawal dyskinesias" when taken off medication. However, there was a silver lining; most of these cases were not severe, and the patients experienced a decrease in symptoms over time. The severity and length of time of withdrawal symptoms appeared to depend on several factors including prior history of impairment, severity of the schizophrenia and how long the child had been taking the medication.

Since numerous factors, including age of illness onset, failure to take medication properly and any conjunctive medications may increase the likelihood of a young person developing tardive dyskinesia, it is recommended that juvenile patients being treated for any mental condition with medications be carefully supervised. The safest course however is to avoid such medication: parents should educate themselves as to the real effects and necessity for these drugs as well as their rights in order to discuss treatment options with their child's therapist.

Free information packet on Tardive Dyskinesia

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