“California Moves to Stop Misuse of Psychiatric Meds in Foster Care”

On Tuesday, NPR told the story of DeAngelo Cortijo.  DeAngelo became a foster kid at age 3 after his mother attempted suicide.  He was “diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety disorders, attachment disorder, intermittent explosive disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder,” and was prescribed “a combination of antipsychotics, antidepressants and stimulants, and was told that taking them was his only hope of being normal.”  Through equine therapy, DeAngelo was eventually able to get off all of his medication.  Now, California is hoping to pass reforms that would prevent foster kids, like DeAngelo, from being “prescribed antipsychotic drugs at double to quadruple the rate of [those] not in foster care.”

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