Working with Psychiatrists and Psychotropic Medications for Children in the Child Welfare System
A Guide for Child Welfare Professionals, Judges, Lawyers, Foster Parents, and Family Members
Working with Psychiatrists and Psychotropic Medications for Children in the Child Welfare System
A Guide for Child Welfare Professionals, Judges, Lawyers, Foster Parents, and Family Members
Additional Resources
About Our Kids: Guide to Psychiatric Medications: Notes on the types and classes of psychiatric medications intended for children and their caretakers. Maintained by the Child Study Center at the New York University School of Medicine.
Child Advocate: Child Mental Health: A variety of resources intended for parents, doctors, and researchers including information on diagnosis, medication and psychotherapy.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Factsheet: Facts, signs, and other sources of information about mental health issues facing youth. Written by SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center.
Child Mental Health Factsheet: A brief guide containing facts about mental health and illness in children. Written by the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluations: Information on what to expect and what to ask when a family member receives a psychiatric evaluation.
Eli Lilly Answer Center: For general medical information (NOT intended to replace the advise of a medical professional) related to psychiatric medications produced by Eli Lilly (Cymbalta, Prozac, Strattera, Symbyax and Zyprexa), call 1-800-LillyRx (1-800-545-5979).
Epocrates Online: Free online version of popular medication reference used by physicians. (Requires free registration).
Glossary of Children's Mental Health Terms: Definitions of terms commonly used within the field of child and adolescent mental health. Maintained by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health at Portland State University.
HealthyPlace.com's Medications Page: Information on usage, dosage, and side effects of various medications written in narrative format.
Internet Mental Health: Medications: Alphabetically-organized list with information about specific medications
Locate a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist: Web-based psychiatrist finder maintained by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Locate a Clinical Social Worker: Contact information and online access to the National Association of Social Workers' Register of Clinical Social Workers.
Locate a Psychiatrist: Contact information for the American Psychiatric Association's "Answer Center".
Locate a Psychologist: Contact information, as well as a web-based psychologist locator, maintained by the American Psychological Association's Practice Organization.
The Parent Letter: An ongoing publication of the Child Study Center at the New York University School of Medicine addressing mental health and related concerns in children and adolescents.
ParentsMedGuide.org: Guides and other resources written for parents of children diagnosed with clinical depression.
Psychopharmacology Tips from Dr. Bob: Indexed list of discussions from a forum where physicians discuss recent news in psychiatric pharmacology, edited by Dr. Bob (Robert Hsiung, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Chicago).
Psychotherapeutic Medications 2006:What Every Counselor Should Know: Pamphlet published by the Mid-America Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) including extensive information on various psychiatric medications, their uses, and cautionary notes. Also includes advise on dealing with special client populations (e.g. pregnant women) and tips on communicating with physicians.
Psychotropic Medication Utilization Parameters for Foster Children: Developed by the Texas Department of State Health Services, this report outlines a number of best practices and general principles which should be applied to children in foster care, (or in the general population), who receive psychiatric care, including a number of indicators for whether or not a child's treatment regimen warrants review.
Medicate or Not?: A review of the American Psychological Association's 2006 report on Psychotropic Medication Use for Children and Adolescents. The entire report, which includes information on various drugs being used for a number of disorders, as well as reviews of assessment and psychosocial interventions for these disorders, can be found here (PDF).
MedlinePlus: Drugs & Supplements: Information on all types of drugs and supplements, including drug warnings and recalls, as well as product safety information from the National Institutes of Health.
Mental Illnesses Affecting Teenagers: Includes a glossary of symptoms, statistics, and links to other information for clients and their families. Maintained by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline: For general information on mental disorders, medication, or referrals, call the NAMI Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (1-800-950-6264)
Social Work and Social Services Topical Index: Index of Web-based content on a wide variety of human service topics, including mental health, pharmacology, and psychotherapy. Maintained by the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.
Talking to Children About Mental Illness: Some tips on how to talk with children of different ages about mental illness. Written by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Treatment of Children With Mental Disorders: A guide for parents including an FAQ and medications chart. Maintained by the National Institute of Mental Health.
United Kingdom National Mental Health Drugs Telephone Hotline: Staffed by experienced pharmacists at the Maudsley Hospital in London, the mental health drugs hotline is open Monday through Friday, 11am-5pm UK time. (5am-11am US Central). To call from the United States, dial: 011-44-020-7919-2999.
Books With Useful Information About Psychiatric Medication for Children (links direct to their Amazon.com pages)
Diller, L.H. (2002). Should I medicate my child? Sane solutions for troubled kids with-and without- psychiatric drugs. New York: Basic Books.
Preston, J., Talaga, M.C. & O'Neal, J.H. (2006). Child and adolescent clinical psychopharmacology made simple. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
Roberts, E.J. (2006). Should you medicate your child’s mind? A child psychiatrist makes sense of whether or not to give kids meds. New York: Marlowe & Company.
Wilens, T.E. (2004). Straight talk about psychiatric medications for kids. New York: Guilford.