Drugged in suburbia
As the parent of a 7 year old girl, I cannot imagine getting her started with habitual pharmaceutical useage. If she did require psychiatric evaluation I would hope she would get a pediatrician like Dr. Lawrence Diller. As we enter this brave new world of pathologized chemical solutions to what in many cases, the human race has traditionally recognized as stages of life, I worry less about this experimental generation than I do about the next generation should this school of thought in psychiatry achieve victory. To me that victory seems likely as America is by and large an extremely lazy nation of individuals. One can see that from our current political landscape, as deep pocketed multinational corporations continue to apply more pressure on the neck of a society they have pinned down. Meanwhile this current generation serves as the de facto guinea pigs for big pharma. The perversion of the mindscape of a generation.
If these prescription drugs are being predominantly prescribed to children in middle class homes could this phenomenon be yet another consequence of suburban sprawl and the inherent isolation that accompanies it?

"Among affluent suburban girls, rates of depression skyrocket—they are three times more likely than average teen girls to report clinically significant levels of depression. And for all problems, the troubles seem to start in the seventh grade. Before then, the affluent kids do well." (Marano, Hara Estroff. (March 22, 2005) Teens: Suburban Blues. Psychology Today, Retrieved September 13, 2012.)
These slices of the American dream designed to be safe environments away from the inner city but they have many unintended, unforseen consequences built right into their design. There are no sidewalks on these streets. It is likely the people in this particular neighborhood but in countless others do not know their neighbors. One must hop in a car to get anywhere in this type of neighborhood, but that poses a particular problem for children who don't yet drive.
The psychological effects of those living in suburbia resemble those experienced by prisoners in solitary confinement. "Prisoners who are isolated for prolonged periods of time have been known to experience "depression, despair, anxiety, rage, claustrophobia, hallucinations, problems with impulse control, and/or an impaired ability to think, concentrate, or remember." (Frintner Carly. (2005). Lonely Madness: The effects of Solitary Confinement and Social Isolation on Mental and Emotional Health. http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1898 Retrieved September 14, 2012.)
Asylum (1972) Peter Robinson.
Coming of Age on Zoloft, written by Katherine Sharpe, reads so far like a psychotropic memoir. Sharpe considers the possibility of a new "right of passage" upon swallowing that first pill. Her parents provide a unique dynamic in that her father has suffered from depression for years and has been medicated through that period and a mother who believes her issues are related to her emotionally volatile stage of life.
I can sort of relate to this. Back when I was in high school when I started cutting class, stopped doing homework, and staying out all night my parents sent me in to a psychiatrist for Zolft too, if memory serves. I'm not sure how on board my dad was with the idea, but he definitely didn't approve of my academic outlook. Well, the Zolft did not change my behavior in the least, the therapy was a joke to me, and the Zoloft I probably didn't even take routinely enough for it to make a difference before I just stopped taking it.
I think in Sharpe's case though Zoloft may have been a good move for how emotionally volatile she was. She wasn't suicidal, but given her mood swings I think it was worth a shot, as low as she would swing. Why not try a helper?

