By, Aaron Adelson
Aadelson@kcautv.com
Twitter: @aadelsonkcau
Foster kids are medicated up to thirteen times more than other kids. Tens of thousands of foster care children are given anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs.
A Government Accountability Office report shows foster kids are much more likely to be given psychiatric medication than other kids.
One Siouxland family knew there was something wrong with the system, and didn't want their adopted kids to be on a carousel of medications.
Ultimately, the kids were taken away from a loving family.
Four years ago, Lisa Burg and her husband were looking to adopt. They took in two four-year-old twin boys.
The kids came from a bad home, and had been abused in foster care. They were both on ADHD medication, but one child acted overly aggressive.
A doctor demanded both boys take a pill commonly used to treat Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder.
"We felt like we really could handle these behaviors fine without the drug. They were adamant. The psychiatrist had prescribed it without having seen the boys, but the medical provider, system, the clinic that they were with basically said you have to," said Burg.
She researched the drug called Risperdal, and says it should not be given to children. Because children possess such immature brains, medicating them with strong drugs can be dangerous.
"My personal opinion is we need to be very careful in giving medicines to children that haven't been studied extensively in children, and may not have an indication to be given to children for certain problems such as aggression and anger, and perhaps look at more cognitive things we can do for kids rather than just giving them another pill," said Dr. Cynthia Pals, Orange City Area Health System.
The Burgs gave in, and gave the medication to the children, but the side effects were frightening.
"I remember one time my husband was bringing them to day care, and one of the little boys was walking down the hall and basically kind of fell over against the wall. We were very concerned. We were fiercely fighting this, and I was very outspoken," said Burg.
Because she spoke out so much, she lost her foster license, and those kids were placed in another home.
The Burgs have now adopted two kids from Ethiopia, and they're in the process of adopting an 8 year old from Russia.
