Poor kids more likely to get antipsychotic drugs

New York Times reported on 12/11/09 that poor kids are four times more likely to have antipsychotic drugs prescribed for them than middle class kids.

New federally financed drug research reveals a stark disparity: children covered by Medicaid are given powerful antipsychotic medicines at a rate four times higher than children whose parents have private insurance. And the Medicaid children are more likely to receive the drugs for less severe conditions than their middle-class counterparts, the data shows.