Kids and meds

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September 24, 2012 — Several years ago, journalist Judith Warner set out to document something she’d heard so much about: a growing push by parents and doctors to frivolously medicate children in the name of conformity and achievement.  Instead, she found “the myth” of the overmedicated child is just that — an allegory, not a reality.

Her book “We’ve Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication” spells out how seriously parents take their children’s mental health diagnoses and describes a hesitance on the part of families to medicate their kids due to stigma, lack of information, and limited access to mental health care.

Dr. Dan Gottlieb explores the topic of kids and meds – what parents are doing and what they should know about with Judith Warner and Drs. Tony Rostain and David Rubin.

Judith Warner is a columnist for TIME.com, contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, and a 2012-2013 recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. While we’re fortunate to have her on the show, she’ll also be available to discuss her book “We’ve Got Issues” on Monday, September 24 from 5 to 6 p.m. at Irvine Auditorium on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.

Psychiatrist Tony Rostain is a professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of Education in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. He also directs the Adult Development Disorders Unit. He’s active in addressing the nonmedical use of stimulants for cognitive enhancement.

A general pediatrician by training, David Rubin is a co-director of PolicyLab at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and an associate professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Rubin has focused his academic pursuits on health policy and practice for vulnerable populations.

Photo credit: AP Images