Alarming weight gain seen in kids on psych drugs

CHICAGO — Children on widely used psychiatric drugs can quickly gain an alarming amount of weight; many pack on nearly 20 pounds and become obese within just 11 weeks, a study found.

“Sometimes this stuff just happens like an explosion. You can actually see them grow between appointments,” said Dr. Christopher Varley, a psychiatrist with Seattle Children’s Hospital who called the study “sobering.”

You can find the article at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102702316.html?hpid=sec-health

My response to this shocking relevation is – oh for heaven’s sake. Like this is a big surprise? Alarming weight gain has been observed in adults for years. Is it only when we see it in children that alarm bells goes off?

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