Foster children prescribed more psychiatric drugs

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A new report raises questions about medical care for foster children in Pennsylvania.

It's a practice that's been under fire nationwide.

Children in the foster system are being over-prescribed psychiatric drugs.

Today, we got a look at how prevalent it is in Pennsylvania, and what's being done about it.

The Children's Hospital PolicyLab study found that rates for these prescriptions are going down.

However, foster kids are still 3 times more likely than other kids to be taking mood-altering drugs like antidepressants.

And the rate is 4 times higher for antipsychotics, such as those for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

Another worrisome facet is 'polypharmacy,' being prescribed multiple drugs.

In Pennsylvania, 1 in 5 of the foster children getting these medications are taking 2 or more drugs.

And there is yet another problem.

"Of the kids being prescribed medications, 50% of them are being prescribed a medication for a non-approved use," says Kathleen Noonan, one of the

Those drugs can have serious side effects, such as weight gain or an increased risk of diabetes.

So the state Department of Human Services is starting several new initiatives, including the creation of an "electronic dashboard" to monitor the use of antipsychotics in children and adolescents.

The Department will also offer telephone child psychiatric consultations to help doctors, physicians assistants, and certified registered nurse practitioners prescribe psychotropic medications more appropriately.