More kids taking long-term prescription drugs

"There's increasing use of medication in children the last 20 years, but does that mean we're treating them successfully or that we're overmedicating?"

That speculation by Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, was quoted by the Associated Press in response to a recent study that found more and more adolescents are being prescribed long-term medicines designed for adults.

For instance, the number of girls taking drugs for Type 2 diabetes has tripled in the last five years, and the use of drugs to combat psychotic behavior and insomnia has doubled.

But is it working? Or should we instead be focusing on strategies that don't require medication -- like counseling, exercise, changes in diet, caffeine intake, etc.

We all want what's best for our children -- anything to keep them healthy and happy. On the other hand, especially because adolescents' brains are still developing, maybe we've been too quick to jump on the prescription drug bandwagon.