In a recent post, I explored the question of whether meds can
help reduce bullying behavior in kids with psychiatric
conditions, since they are more likely to bully peers than kids
without such problems. But research shows that kids with
psychiatric problems are also more likely to be bullied – and
that those who are bullied are at elevated risk of suffering
from psychiatric disorders later on. In my own research for my
book on young adults who grew up taking psychiatric meds, I was
struck that almost everyone I interviewed reported having been
bullied during childhood or adolescence (some also reported
bullying other kids). So how does taking psychiatric meds affect
the likelihood of kids being bullied? Do the drugs enhance kids’
self-esteem and behavior so that they’re less likely to be
picked on? Or do kids get teased because they take meds? To get
a clear answer about what role medication plays, you’d have to
randomly assign children with a particular psychiatric diagnosis
to drug treatment or placebo – a