MEDICATING YOUNG MINDS.

PSYCHIATRIC drugs; CHILD development; IATROGENIC diseases in children; AFFECTIVE disorders; ADOLESCENT psychopathology; ATTENTION-deficit hyperactivity disorder; BIPOLAR disorder; DRUG side effects; DEPRESSION in children

Reports on the increase in medicating American youngsters for mood and behavior problems. What the most popular drugs do to the chemicals in the brain; Side effects; Estimates of how many children suffer from mental illness and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; Factors at work in the increase of diagnoses; New psychotropic drugs with greater efficacy; Questions about the effects of these drugs on developing brains; Lack of studies; Contention that some rush to medication without other treatment first; Studies on the brain's development; When it is appropriate to medicate; Results of early studies; Lack of family doctor training.