Vatican City, Jun 1, 2013 / 10:27 am
An upcoming conference at the Vatican will examine the harmful effects of using prescription drugs rather than therapy to treat emotional disorders and mental illnesses in children and expectant mothers.
"We want this conference to show a scholarly perspective and then we also want to disseminate our information to a wider audience with the Vatican's help," a psychologist who has helped organize the conference, Barry Duncan, told CNA May 31.
An event six years in the making, "The Child as a Person and as a Patient: Therapeutic Approaches Compared," will take place June 14 to 15 in St. Pius X Hall and will feature several psychiatrists and psychologists, a social worker, family therapist and an investigative journalist.
The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers has organized the conference in hopes of bringing together professionals to discuss the harmful consequences of overusing prescription drugs for treating mental and emotional disorders in children as well as how a similar trend is hurting pregnant mothers.