If one only took into account the number of medications that American teenagers take nowadays, one would think that the teenaged population has never been so ill in the history of the world.

From ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), to ADHD (Attention Hyperactivity Disorder), depression, to what once were “old people” illnesses such as Dementia and type two or adult onset diabetes, these diseases are working their way through the teenage population.

According to Science Daily, the use of psychotropic drugs have increased by 250 percent between 1994 and 2001. The cause of this rise has much to do with the federal government being more lenient with off-label prescription drugs, and that mental and emotional health care is less taboo and more widely available than it used to be.

However, “there is an alarming increase in prescribing these drugs to teens, and the reasons for this trend need further scrutiny,” according to Professor Cindy Parks-Thomas, an expert on prescription drug trends, at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management in a study published in the Science Daily report.

“Our study suggests a number of factors may be particularly important to assess, including the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising and other marketing strategies,” said Thomas.

Although most psychotropic drugs are not for use for children below the age of 18, an increasing number of teens are leaving doctors’ offices with prescription(s) for these drugs.

Some studies suggest that between 14 to 26 percent of those teens were found not to have an associated mental health diagnosis.

“Kids use that as an excuse to not concentrate in class. ADD is a crappy disorder that they came up with for kindergarten students to pass,” said recent graduate, Marylou Tatis.

Though psychotropic drugs are not the only medications prescribed to teens it is the most noted and the most increased.

“At this age in our lives there’s so much we go through, so maybe doctors think that with medication it will get better,” said junior Andrew Lopez.

In 2001, the number reached the highest peak ever when studies showed that one in every ten doctor office visits by teenage boys resulted in some type of prescription medication.

The factors behind this trend are pharmaceutical manufacturers, who have increased their television advertisements six fold between 1996 and 2001.

In 1997 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed the Modernization Act. This act proposed the improvement of food regulation, medical products, and cosmetic products. The law is supposed to reduce the approval times to low records while maintaining consumer protections.

“I think teens are over prescribed because people over exaggerate the fact that people have stress, depression, and ADD. Then, some kids just do the ADD thing for attention,” said recent graduate Jessica Rosales.

While ADD and ADHD are real diseases, which require real help, the question remains, are prescription drugs always the answer?