Florida police say prescription drug abuse may be to blame for rise in child neglect cases

According to authorities in South Florida, prescription drug abuse may have led to a spike in neglect cases, the St. Petersburg Times reports.

Law enforcement officials told the news source that they saw child welfare court cases involving drugs rise from 30 percent in 2008 to 57 percent in 2010. Authorities named prescription drug abuse as a main component in these cases.

"This prescription drug thing has just exploded over the last 18 months or so," Pinellas County Sheriff's Capt. Gregory Handsel, told the news source "It has almost doubled, which is really significant and puts an increased workload on our investigators."

Boarding schools may help children who suffer from abuse from their parents. These learning institutions can offer group therapy as well as individualized education to help them overcome these traumatic experiences.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 772,000 children were victims of maltreatment, which includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse as well as neglect in 2008.