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A mother of twins residing in Melbourne, FL cites Xanax as her secret weapon in being "a better mom." Hope Chanda is a mother of a set of six-year-old boys and is a victim to panic attacks which prevent her from being the mother she would like to be. After living with an anxious mother of her own throughout her early life, Chanda did not want her children to experience her pain whenever she became overwhelmed by her surroundings. Chanda now takes half a milligram of Xanax two times a day and ends her day with 20 milligrams of Celexa, a prescription drug for treating depression, and credited these drugs in helping her be a good mother.

Although Chanda's statement has opened controversial and ongoing debates about parenting, a look into her lifestyle is quite insightful. According to the CNN parenting article, Chanda and her husband, Joe, have been trying to start a family for nearly two years. They suffered through six rounds of shots, three cycles of fertility drugs, and two miscarriages before getting pregnant. Chanda believes that the intensive drug and hormonal treatments negatively affected her mood and mental stamina, which would explain the panic attacks that occur when her children have meltdowns.

"It helps me be a better mom" Chanda stated to CNN. "I look forward to taking my medication. I'm more flexible, tolerant, and rational. Before, when the kids were being a problem, I would get frustrated and yell immediately. Now, we work through the problem."

Xanax is a calming drug that reduces emotional stress, and thus, it helps Chanda relax before she tackles her children's problems. However, drugs do have side effects, such as dependency. But, for Chanda, Xanax and Celexa provide a faster and cheaper solution than other forms of parenting therapy. According to Express Scripts, more than one in five American use a form or several forms of medicinal treatment for physiological or behavioral problems, which is a 22% increase since 2001. From 2001 to 2010, women have also used more antidepressants and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) drugs. Although Chanda's admission can be viewed as a controversial parenting method, she is definitely not the only parent to enlist the use of drugs.