Riding crop update - the drug was risperdal

After my most recent post on this case, there was a discussion on DPF's blog regarding the woman who was acquitted of hitting her son with a riding crop by using section 59 of the Crimes Act. She stated that reasonable force was used.

Authorities who have taken this boy off his parents are using drugs to curb his behaviour but I never said what that drug was and there was some speculation as to what it was.

The boys mother told me the drug that they were giving her son was the anti-psychotic drug risperdal. One of the noted side effects of this drug is aggression. It is normally used to treat schophrenia and bipolar, and interferes with communication among nerves in the brain. So this drug is not actually curbing this boy's behaviour, in fact it is making it worse.

On this risberdal website there is a warning against giving this drug to children" due to the risk that risperdal side effects could last forever". The site also says that this drug could be permanently disabling youths like this boy instead of curbing behavioural problems.

Advocacy groups "wonder why unnecessary risk is being taken when prescribed to patients for reasons other than psychotic disorders".

Like, for example, using the drug instead of smacking. What would groups such as child, Youth and Family do to parents if they were to use drugs such as rispersdal as a parenting tool? They'd probably see it as legal drug abuse, except of course if it was administering it. If that is the case, why are they using such drugs on kids that have been taken away from parents who have not broken the law - in fact been acquitted in court? Are such agencies taking kids in and stating that many of them have behavioural disorders - and giving them psychotic drugs? What does the MSM have to say about that?

In an email this mother writes:

M……ran away from his caregiver whilst at an appointment yesterday and texted me on the cell phone. I rang him and he wanted me to go and get him. He was crying and very upset. Whilst I was talking to him, I could hear the caregiver begin yelling at him in the background. She had pulled up beside him and was screaming at him to get back in the car, and using words like "little arsehole" and "shut your mouth or I will shut it for you." All he needs is a whack on the bum

This woman's MP, Jim Anderton, has written to Steve Maharey regarding this case and is awaiting his reply. Ruth Dyson has been written to about this case. I have seen her reply. She - well, her staff actually, they write such replies - said that concerns are best addressed with social workers of Child, Youth and Family, and that the family should work with them.

What do you think of that?