Louis Theroux: America's Medicated Kids

Louis Theroux's exploration of the use of medication on America's children is intriguing but ultimately unenlightening; this doesn't necessarily mean that it's a failure. We see some troubled kids; what we (and he) can't tell is what exactly they would be like if they weren't on anti-depressants. What's more striking is the pervasiveness of the language of modern therapy, among doctors, parents and patients alike: there's something slightly scary about hearing an eight year old child describing their own behaviour as "inappropriate". I can appreciate that a child's behaviour can be (self-) destructive, harmful or difficult - but surely it's a curse of adulthood that certain behaviours are considered appropriate, or not. The programme left me disturbed, but not in the expected way; I have no idea if these particular children are well-served by their medical regimen, but slightly concerned at the demands the world places on both healthy and disturbed children.