The health concerns of children and youth involved in foster care

Children involved in foster care experience the complex trauma of separation from their biological families as well as other adverse childhood events that led to their interaction with the child welfare system. These experiences, combined with the sense of loss, contribute to greater health concerns, particularly mental health.

One in every three foster care involved children enrolled in Medicaid are on psychotropic medications designed to alter their mental status or mood. Common medications include alpha agonists, antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics and stimulants.

 

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