A father from Washington has claimed his son’s high school prescribed the teen anti-depressants without telling him, sparking a major debate between people on the internet.
The man, named Eli Holt, from Snohomish, recently revealed on TikTok that his 15-year-old son started taking the medication after a psychiatrist visited the local high school and decided he needed them, without his parents’ consent or knowledge.
He claimed that his son ‘thought he knew’ about the prescription since he usually has a ‘good line of communication’ with the school.
Eli slammed the school for allegedly giving his son the pills without knowing his ‘medical history,’ pointing out some of the dangers it posed.
A father from Washington has claimed his son’s high school prescribed the teen anti-depressants without telling him, sparking a major debate between people on the internet
Eli Holt, from Snohomish, said his 15-year-old son started taking the medication after a psychiatrist visited the school and decided he needed them, without his consent or knowledge
He claimed that his son ‘thought he knew’ about the prescription since he usually has a ‘good line of communication’ with the school
His video quickly went viral, gaining more than 266,000 views in a matter of days, and it launched an argument between viewers over whether or not the school’s actions were justified.
‘I get a call today from the counselor at the high school, they proceed to say, “Your child, 15 years old, did not pick up his anti depressants at the end of the school year,”‘ Eli stated in the clip.
‘I said, “He’s not on antidepressants, what are you talking about? My kid is not depressed.”
‘They proceed to tell me that they had a psychiatrist come to the school and give my kid antidepressants. He’s been on them for several months and I had no knowledge.
‘I knew nothing about it. Come to find out, it’s 100 per cent legal. They can do whatever they want with our kids in Washington State within the school program.’
Many states, including Washington, allow schools to give out prescriptions to any minor over age 13 without getting permission from a parent if they are seeking treatment for mental health services.
According to the law, students ‘may initiate an evaluation and treatment for outpatient and/or inpatient mental health services, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, or withdrawal management without parental consent.’
‘The minor has the right to receive services in the least restrictive setting. A youth is admitted for inpatient treatment only if the professional in charge of the facility concurs with the need for treatment and the youth meets criteria for this level of care,’ the law reads.
In a follow-up video, Eli explained that him not knowing that his son was taking the medication was dangerous because he could of accidentally mixed it with something unsafe.
‘What if I was allowing him to have a glass of wine at home at dinner? Not that I am, but what if I was?’ he said.
Eli slammed the school for giving his son the pills without knowing his ‘medical history,’ pointing out some of the dangers it posed
His video quickly went viral, gaining more than 266,000 views, and it launched an argument between viewers over whether or not the school’s actions were justified
‘What if he had a heart murmur, what if he was allergic to medications like that? The kid can barely fill out a job application, how is he going to know all his medical history? How is he going to know all these things?’
He added that the only reason he could understand them keeping that information from a parent was if they suspected there was ‘abuse in the home’ or if that child was ‘in danger.’
‘If they’re giving a child a prescription, you should know. Period,’ he concluded. ‘It’s not their kid to give a prescription to. I wholeheartedly believe that they should have told me.’
Many people were divided in the comment section, with some calling it ‘not OK’ and bashing the school for ‘overstepping,’ and others siding with the institution and explaining that the law has helped them or people that they know in the past.
‘That program helped me so much, it’s not a bad thing,’ one person wrote, while another shared, ‘This law helped my niece. She suffers from depression and couldn’t get help because her mom didn’t want her to.’
‘A lot of children need these services,’ someone else said. A fourth person agreed, ‘Good job Washington. I wish more states would adopt this. I love my child, and if I can’t help him I’m glad other adults in his life could.’
Many people were divided in the comment section, with some calling it ‘not OK’ and bashing the school for ‘overstepping’
Others sided with the institution and explaining that the law has helped them or people that they know in the past
‘It’s legal and has helped other students whose families deny care,’ read a fifth comment.
‘I wish my school did that,’ said another person. ‘Often teenagers don’t want to tell their parents about mental health or birth control. I see this as a good thing.’
‘If he’s willing to take them by himself then he might need them, we never understand what’s going on in someone else’s head,’ added a different user.
‘Shouldn’t you be happy that he’s getting help if he needed it?’ quipped someone else.
However, others were not happy with the school’s decision and made it known.
‘What if he was on medication at home they didn’t know about?’ asked one user. ‘Mixing prescriptions is dangerous.’
‘If you gave him another medication that would interact with what the school gave him it could have become lethal,’ pointed out another person. ‘The schools should not be allowed.’
‘I would be livid,’ read another comment. ‘They have no right to just prescribe medication to children. If they thought there was an issue and he needed them, they should have scheduled a meeting.’
‘How was he taking his prescription on weekends or school breaks? Antidepressants should be taken consistently,’ wrote a different person. ‘How can you get refills over the summer?’
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