Too Much Medication: Addressing the Overmedication of Youth in Foster Care

The child welfare system in the United States has the responsibility of
ensuring the safety for several thousand children. Many of these youth are
traumatized from the maltreatment they experienced prior to their placement in
foster care. Due to this trauma, foster children are more likely to develop and struggle
with behavioral and mental health problems. Depression, anxiety, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder are a few common diagnoses
for children in foster care.

In an attempt to address the elevated rate of mental health issues amongst
the foster care population, psychotropic medication is often utilized in place of
therapeutic services. Psychotropic medications are often prescribed to manage
behavioral and mental health symptoms, but the elevated usage rates for children in
foster care is a cause for concern. Youth in foster care are frequently prescribed and
take two or more psychotropic medications, which is potentially harmful due to
unknown long-term effects of these medications on children.

This capstone project is composed of three products that address the issue of
overmedication amongst the foster care population. The first product, or systematic
literature review, explores the negative impacts of psychotropic medication on youth
in foster. The second product utilizes systems theory as a theoretical framework to
reconceptualize psychotropic medication oversight for children in foster care. Lastly,
the third product is an exploration of how to apply the blanket guidelines to improve
psychotropic medication oversight for youth involved with child welfare