Girls on SIS are over -mediated according to new review
The fact that children who are disposed of by society have worse mental health than other children is not surprising in themselves. The very basis for the placement is often a vulnerable situation, where psychiatric disorders are included in the picture. But in a new survey from the National Board of Health and Welfare, several discoveries are made that go far beyond the expected.
For example, the placed children feel worse today than ten years ago, and ill health has increased steeper for them than for other groups.
– This is an extremely exposed group, which lies in a gap between the municipalities ‘responsibility to dispose of and place, and the regions’ responsibility to care for and treat. They should get the highest focus of society, but they will not, says Director General Björn Eriksson.
A particularly worrying bargain The report concerns medication. Placed children receive heavy psychoactive drugs to a much greater extent than their peers and the preparations are printed on unclear grounds. For example, the high prescription of antipsychotic drugs does not correspond to what the National Board of Health can see, of registered psychosis illness or bipolarity. It is given « Off Label », as it is called, which means that it is printed « on unapproved indication, with deviating dose or with different modes of administration. »
– It is not according to the indications, and is particularly serious when it comes to children and young people. This is very powerful preparations that can affect the development of the brain and that have strong side effects in the form of, for example, being overweight, says Björn Eriksson.
The National Board of Health and Welfare has not been able to explore why the children receive the possibly incorrect medicines, but a previous review of those covered by the LSS Act – the Support and Service Act for some disabled people – shows that antipsychotic means were given against anxiety, sleep problems and outgoing behavioral problems.
« There is absolute reason to believe that the same conditions apply here, » says Anne-Katrin Kantzer, medical expert at the National Board of Health and Welfare.
It sounds, a bit hard, like « Gökboet ». Do you think that care is mediated for the individual’s sake, or is it perhaps done for the organization to be given work peace?
– I don’t think you should pull it that far, but it would be really interesting to see if an equally high prescription of antipsychotic drugs would remain if other efforts increased. Increased security in the care environment, higher proportion of staff with the right skills and targeted efforts from psychiatry, for example, says Anne-Katrin Kantzer.
The worst is the situation for girls and young women. Among the placed on SIS, 25 percent among 13-17 year old girls have at least three registered withdrawals of antipsychotic drugs. Compared to peers who were not placed in 2022, it is the corresponding 50 times as common.
Another worrying discovery As the National Board of Health and Welfare has done is that the children placed in society’s care multi -medication more often than other children. It may be due to frequent moves and lack of continuity in healthcare, but the authority also believes that there is a shortage of follow -up and control. Now the Director -General wants to have drug reviews for cared for children, similar to those that already exist for the elderly.
– It really should always be done, because this is a child. They are vulnerable, vulnerable and placed. And the more health care institutions that meet the child during the year, the more psychoactive drugs from different drug groups are printed to them. There is a heavy responsibility on both the municipalities and the regions to switch up against these children, says Director General Björn Eriksson.
