Kids held in detention centers receive heavy doses of antipsychotic drugs

A Palm Beach Post investigation finds that kids who have been placed in state juvenile facilities have been receiving heavy doses of antipsychotic drugs, which are meant to have a tranquilizing effect on the brain. The pills were passed out to children in the facilities "for reasons that never were approved by federal regulators." The drugs can have harmful side effects in young people, including thoughts of suicide. The Department of Juvenile Justice does not keep track of the prescriptions written for the children, but in response to this article, has imposed a review of the use of the potentially harmful medications. The investigation also revealed that several top doctors who were prescribing the medication had also received "speaker fees or gifts" from the companies that manufactured the antipsychotic drugs.