Children vulnerability

Atropine-like effects - dry mouth, dilated pupils, confusion, hallucinations, memory lose Solanaceae family -jimsonweed, henbane, deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), angles trumpet (atropine and scopolamine) Clinical effects of many of the plants recognized since ancient times. Deaths are rare but children vulnerable. Hallucinations from muscarine and psilocybin... 

It has been reported that about 12% of the 63 million children under the age of 18 in the United States suffer from one or more mental disorders, and exposure to toxic substances before or after birth has been identified as one of the several risk factors that appear to make certain children vulnerable to these disorders. Reports have also indicated that fetuses and children are more vulnerable to the effects of certain neurotoxic substances than are adults. Children exposed to a mix of pesticides, including organophosphates, showed diminished short-term memory and disturbed hand-eye coordination and drawing ability, whereas unexposed children of the same tribe showed normal development. Preschool children from agricultural communities in the United States showed poorer performance on motor speed and latency than did those of urban communities. ... 

Child modes (e.g. angry child, vulnerable child)... 

Further research on the relationship between paternal lead exposure and fetal/infant development should be conducted. Additional information on relationships between nutritional deficits and vulnerability of the fetus and child to lead would be valuable. 

The concept that infants and children may be a sensitive subgroup relates to their relative immaturity compared to adults. Children, as well as the unborn child, have in some cases appeared to be uniquely vulnerable to toxic effects of chemicals because periods of rapid growth and development render them more susceptible to some specific toxic effects when compared to adults. In addition to such toxicodynamic factors, differences in toxicokinetics may contribute to an increased susceptibility during these periods. It should be noted, however, that during the developmental and maturational periods the susceptibility to exposure to xenobiotics in children may be higher, equal, or even lower than in adults. Except for a few specific substances, not very much is known about whether and why the response to a substance may differ between age groups. It should also be borne in mind that, in terms of risk assessment, children are not simply small adults, but rather a unique population (Nielsen et al. 2001). 

Without a doubt the developing fetus and child are the most vulnerable to the effects of chemicals on the nervous system. As children they have no control over these exposures that can result in a lifetime of disability. The nervous system of adults is clearly affected by a range of chemicals, both those sought after and in our environment. 

L D. The principle of justice is a relevant consideration when subjects are selected for clinical research. It requires that members of a vulnerable population, such as institutionalized patients with mental retardation, not be exploited. The principle of autonomy would be most relevant to the parents ability to consent or refuse on the child s behalf, something Dr. Martin thinks is handled satisfactorily. Dr. Martin believes risks have been minimized and the overall study drug is likely to help the participants, so the study has satisfied the principles of nonmaleficence and beneficence. The principle of medical priority is not mentioned in the chapter and pertains to treating the most medically needy patients first, which is not at issue here. 

Psychosocial morbidity association. Cannabis dependence is a prevalent comorbid substance use disorder among patients early in the course of a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder. Among 29 eligible patients, 18 participated in the study. First-episode patients with comorbid cannabis dependence (n = 8) reported significantly greater childhood physical and sexual abuse compared with those without comorbid cannabis dependence (n = 10). The result indicated the preliminary evidence of an association between childhood maltreatment and cannabis dependence among this especially vulnerable population. Child-... 

Had they been known about, both instances illustrated above would have been significant child protection concerns. The emotional vulnerability engendered as a result of such unstable patterns of parental contact is just as significant. The following child s description of his disappointment that neither parent consistently comes to see him in foster care is a depressingly flat statement of his low expectations that they will turn up, or even really understand the importance of the visit to him ... 

This chapter considers practitioner responses to parenting and child welfare in the context of drug problems. The increased vulnerabilities of these children and the statutory framework around child protection merits a closer consideration of the ways in which practitioners think about such cases. The key question that informs this discussion is why had so few of the children described in this study been the subject of investigation The interviews with parents, with their children and with grandparents, all indicated... 

For the sake of clarity, this chapter will divide between first considering the merits and importance of acknowledging philosophically and practically that drugs are not just the problem of the presenting individual, but of their families too. It will then focus on the particular problems encountered by children of parents who are drug dependent. Inevitably the greater potential vulnerability of children of parents with drug problems imposes a necessary hierarchy of need and response. The important point however, is that the protection and welfare of such children is not just about the parent and the child but about the extended family too. 

Adverse early environmental stress has also been investigated in human populations. Observations of the effects of early childhood experience of environmental adversity have led investigators to propose a stress vulnerability mediated by changes in stress-responsive CRF systems implicated in both mood and anxiety disorders (Heim and Nemeroff, 1999). Granger et al. (1996) measured children s adrenocortical reactions to a conflict-oriented mother-child interaction task and found that children s pretask cortisol scores were negatively associated with anxiety symptoms. 

Asbahr FR, Ramos RT, Negrao AB, and Gentil V. (1999) Case Series increased vulnerability to obsessive-compulsive symptoms with repeated episodes of Sydenham chorea. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38 1522-1525. 

The special vulnerability of children should form the basis for development of child-protective policies and risk assessment approaches. A lack of lull proof for causal associations should not prevent efforts to reduce exposures or implement intervention and prevention strategies. 

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