Everybody's obsessed with controlling everybody else's behaviour - not just in terms of how people behave towards us, but how they conduct the rest of their lives, too. Until everybody is conducting themselves in exactly the same way, AND everybody can acknowledge that everybody is behaving in the same way, given certain stimuli (they already are), then nobody will be happy. Until that time, we will turn our children into desperate replicas of ourselves - never understanding what is required of us, and afraid to ask.

Matt

Thanks for posting this. A useful reminder to us readers who are parents of young children: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Meaning: Unless the child is physically ill, leave him alone.

You wouldn't believe how many children, with much, much worst behavioral problems, eventually grow up to lead good productive lives - just by keeping them away from psychiatrists...

If you need numerous real life examples, let me know.

Nope, one can't save them all, there will always be a few that never make it. But their chances of surviving with their sanity intact will always be higher if they can somehow manage to avoid them "mean-wells."

Philip,

This exert jumps out at me

"After a year, the jokes gave way to worry. Max was reaching and surpassing his milestones, walking by 10 months and talking in sentences by age 1, but he wasn't like the babies in parenting books. Richie carried his son to the backyard and tried to put him down, but Max shrank back in his father's arms; he hated the feel of the grass beneath his small bare feet. Amy gave Max a bath and turned on the exhaust fan; he put his hands over his ears and screamed. At 13 months, he lined up dozens of Hot Wheels in the same direction, and when Amy nudged one out of order, he shrieked "like you'd just cut his arm off."

That is screaming for a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome or Non Verbal Learning Disability with the typical sensory problems that go with it. Talking in complete sentences and lining up objects in the same order and getting upset when his mom messed one up are classic symptoms of either AS or NLD. Getting irritated by the grass is a very typical sensory issue.

Of course, getting either one of these diagnosis' doesn't guarantee the kid will go med free as sadly, many parents still fall for the solution of drugs even for these disorders. But at least it increases the odds somewhat that the kid won't be medicated and will get the appropriate help.

If he had gotten the appropriate help, it would have included going to an occupational therapist who specializes in sensory issues to help him cope with his issues. He also might have gone to an speech language pathologist and learned appropriate social skills for navigating the neurotypical world.

Imagine the type of life this kid might have had with those types of interventions vs. the BP, suicidal, and psych med treadmill that he is now on. As I previously mentioned, he still might have been given drugs but the chances of him having a much better life would have greatly increased.

I am just shaking my head at the ignorance of doctors as to how they could overlook clues staring them in the face. Sadly, this kid is intertwined on the psych med treadmill and the BP diagnosis, that no one will go back and take another look at his history.

AA

hardly happy reading---I read it last night. I felt sick to my stomach the whole time I was reading and the video was truly painful...

I agree something is going on and no, I don't blame the parents, but nonetheless the mother gave me the creeps---she's not helping.

And a month off drugs? I wonder how long they took to taper him...he got worse in just a month? Hardly enough time for withdrawal symptoms to clear up....

the "manic episode" in the office...sounds like pure child silliness to me...

in the video the mom kept pathologizing everything the child did...yeah something may be wrong but these parents are giving the child no hope whatsoever...

deeply disturbing...

I don't know what the answer is, but I do know that I believe drugs make a difficult situation of this nature worse.

Of course. This was the most hackneyed portrayal of this complicated problem I've ever seen. I found the authors constant references to Max as so troubled or even at one point, "... a small, angry bull.", extremely unsettling. Also, sentences that talk about his first "ragged" breath in this world. These descriptions, and this article is littered with them, and are denigrating to the poor child's humanity, and on some level reinforce the fact that the child is not getting the help he needs because no one is denominating his problems correctly.

Speculation. It is of course, considered taboo to speculate about someones home-life or parenting skills, but for parents who aren't in-sync with reality, this is often what feeds their child's misery. And child psychiatrists indulge in this practice to legitimize their field. The parents might say, "He's got a "brain disorder", then they're absolved of all culpability and responsibility. Whatever. I'm going to speculate anyway.

First of all, this is exactly what disorganized attachment looks like. And when the child is screaming because the bathroom fan comes on or whatever else, it would certainly help to know if the parents screamed back or helped soothe the child. Disorganized attachment can explain almost all the symptoms of Child Bipolar Disorder. We don't know what happened in that house. No one does. Even the doctors. The family could leave the doctors office go back home, and the child could be beaten to sticks or screamed back at. We don't know. I'm sure these parents are caring the best they can. I'm sure they have good intentions. Thats irrelevant. Anyone read Alice Miller? These things that are unspoken, if they do happen, of course, would clearly contribute to the kids out of control behavior and make it actually appropriate. ( By the way, what is so disordered about ripping coloring paper to shreds?) Whatever, who knows. Child Bipolar proponents often go to great lengths to discount any familial or environmental impact on the child's behavior, so far as to deny the import of frank abuse, even in the office (in my case severe sibling physical abuse).

As far as the biology of Bipolar Disorder goes, there is none. It's like the biology of kid's brains that grew up in closets, of course they're disordered. But you recognize the most glaringly obvious reasons why -- not invent theories to further your professional career or the ideology of a field. The Business of Child Bipolar is something that should be done in the bathroom, alone, with a box of tissues, possibly. No patients, Max, or anyone else, is truly benefiting by having their severe emotional and behavioral presentations conflated with some imaginary mood disorder.

I agree thought that children can become manic, they're humans too after all. But it should be dealt with less in the unrestrained realm of psychaitric polypharmacy and diagnosis, and more in the realm of professionals who given the absence of a confirmable diagnosis won't jump to conclusions about everything, treatment, prognosis based solely on a completely hypothetical construct.

Max deserves better. Poor kid. I hope the best for him.

WTF. Philip Dawdy "Maybe I'll be proven wrong someday"
subject :child bipolar disorder.

There is not and will never be any factual objective test for MENTAL illness. One can not prove anything in a non physical "illness".

While I think it's a bit too late to moan about the lack of real journalism anymore, it does make me sad. We're all lazy, especially about anything even remotely difficult that might make us take our ipod headphones off and take care of our own kids. I took a look at that article and I couldn't watch the video either. Who knows what this kid was actually like at the age of two? Maybe he just had a bacterial infection at the time, and we've completely poisoned him.

When I read the article, it sounded like Max was more of Asperger's at first than Bipolar. He actually sounds a lot like my cousin who has Asperger's and Tourette's. This article is heartbreaking for me to read as a parent. It's hard enough when you're the parent dealing with your own mental health issues, then when you have a child who is saddled with his/her own, it's hell on earth.

Bipolar from age 2? Is this reasonable possible?
Sounds like the kid has been expected to have bipolar disorder, so in turn, he does.
If his parents expect him to act insane, then he will of course. Expect a person to act a certain way (especially a child) and the person will!

THX for the coverage of this disgusting story. at the age of 1, my now 2yo screamed about the hair trimmer. And the vacuum. And the hair dryer.

As time has gone by, with the assistance of no psychiatry, he just let me trim his hair with the clippers, even though he was crying, squirming, and tearful. The drug is called "parental firmness". He is wary of the hair dryer but sometimes likes it when his mom gives him a blast of warm air. He leaves the room when the vacuum is on.

We have a drug called "leave the place" when he throws a tantrum in a public place. At home, we use a drug called "in the crib" for the times when he goes into a manic rage, throwing things. If he continues to cry for more than 10 minutes, we adminster another drug called "Get him back out of the crib he is tired but won't go to sleep." We follow that up with a drug called "cuddle for a while until he is consoled."

These fast-acting drugs are wonderful, because his "mood swings" are very rapid. These drugs must be fast-acting because, otherwise, these episodes will be over before we even have time to adminster the drug.

Sometimes we use a drug called "just ignore but keep him safe the whole time." This works to end these rages while ensuring his safety. Patent pending.

It's really amazing how all the medical professional believe the medications have actually helped this child.

JC, you're not alone in recognizing Alice Miller's explanation of personality development underlying all of it.

There is no narrative in the modern paradigm, no interpersonal, relational, environmental inquiry, no earthly reason for crazy behavior, and because this is true there can be no avenue to arrive at meaning. Meaning, whatever are you on about? Are we doing philosophy? Blank looks, and feigned innocence, yes, we've come a long way from common sense.

Whether or not those parents are raising their child in a dysfunctional environment doesn't matter. It's that the first and obvious question is off the table for everyone, including those who do.

Among the pernicious assumptions that go unsaid: families should be off-limits to outside inquiry, children should act right, there's no such thing as inner life, will, resentment, power struggles, acting out, there is no language in behavior and nothing here to understand. Personhood, which is always a threat has been throroughly delegitimized, people are objects, malfunctioning software in need of technological rebooting. We've killed subjectivity in the name of progress? I find it very deliberate and sinister. Kill meaning and you kill accountability with it. That's no accident.

Thank you Row1. I always come away from these articles, even from the criticism of them, wondering if anyone has spent time with toddlers. I wonder how much of these "mental illnesses" would be solved if we had a culture where children were much more integrated into social life, where we came in regular contact with children on a regular basis before we have our own to worry over. With each family isolated and pressured not to set reasonable parental limits (to read today's parenting books you'd think that if you can just be empathetic enough, your kids won't have any problems), and the doctors only to happy to "evaluate" (and then medicate), it only makes sense we're diagnosing toddlerhood as a mental illness. How can we say there was something clear going on with this kid? How do we even know what his baseline level of functioning is? One month off meds doesn't count. That's nowhere near long enough to get over withdrawal.

Well, gosh, poor little Max sounds a lot like my son as a toddler. He son was talking in sentences at one year old and lining up hot wheels cars and screaming at breaks in the routine...is he bipolar? Heck no. As Row1 said above, liberal administration of "parental firmness", "leave the place", and "cuddle for a while until he is consoled" worked wonders. Now, at twelve, he is a happy, bright kid. No meds needed, thanks ever so.

Thank you for passing this along. Heartbreaking. I wouldn't even know where to begin in commenting so I won't. I will however say this...don't watch the video...it was maddening.

Kiki Chang who practices down the road from where I live has got to be one of the scariest guys out there. He is so arrogant and self assured and if he had his way, every man, woman and child out there would be medicated for some "prodomal" disorder. It's awful. And yet he's the kind of guy under whose thrall inexperienced journalists fall when they set out to do stories on these issues. And articles like these have the potential to do a LOT of damage. It's very discouraging.

Haha. Sara, that so typical -- and reassuring to hear. They're all like that. I was (mis)diagnosed at 12 (21 now) by a psychiatrist who works at Biederman's clinic in Boston and has a faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School. He was such an aloof, smug, self-assured dick. You bet. Anyone can make a name for themselves in psychiatry -- as long as they're a frigid hack, willing to trample over anyone, patients included. No need for science. The psychiatry department at Harvard and Mass General think they can do anything they want. It's scary. Although, in the long term, I'm pretty hopeful, and pretty sure, that the glue holding their wings together is gonna melt the higher they go -- and then I'll laugh, really hard. People need help, and deserve effective and appropriate care. People helping the vulnerable and emotionally distressed (i.e. psychiatrists and other mental health professionals) need to get real -- there's too much at stake.

Kiki Chang is Joe Biederman's frontman, and was highlighted in the PBS Frontline:Medicated Child(available online to watch)because Joeseph(Harvard)Biederman refuses to do public interviews. I wonder why? Did I mention CABF bp kids dot org has Kiki and Joe on board as well? Just in time today, Abilify was approved for use in these kids by age 10! by the FDA, giving the "all clear" for approved use, and no longer will psych's have to dodge around the "off-label" screen any longer.

Unfortunately, Max is just one of so many children out there, I find it horrific, as I have lived the peril of this for a decade. I'm a predictable squeaky wheel on the couch in this forum on this topic, and I've taken hits for speaking out -- at my expense-- I will never stop speaking out, because I hate to see a child suffer like mine did, and the parents as well, at the hands of psychiatrists that were highly influenced by Joseph Biederman--if you watch the PBS Frontline Medicated child you will see Biederman quoted as admitting to being that influential.

It is all connected, the pharmaceutical industry, the funded studies by authors with conflicts of interest, take it apart into sections, and we have a disaster at hand here.

I thank Philip for keeping this on the front burner when it shows up to report about it, because I know it is extremely difficult for him to write about this stuff that happens to kids.

I agree infinitely Stephany. Thanks Philip. You bring so much sense and balance to mental health coverage, can't thank you enough.

The video isn't too bad. I'm very sensitive to stuff like that and it wasn't bad at all. Although I did get frustrated when his parents said he was acting "manic" while he basically rambled thoughts that were a stream of consciousness. The parents' assessment freaked me out. I ramble like that frequently. Am I manic like him or is Max just normal like me?

The line "Max will never be ok" is quite a piece of crappy journalism indeed. Go watch the video -- it's much better than the write-up.

But come on pips, don't be so hard on the parents if they agreed for their child to be medicated. If I had a child who has become suicidal at such an age, heck, i would go take the risks of medicating him, versus the option of letting him die because the risk had already risen so much because Max did attempt to kill himself already. It's so easy saying things when you are not the one in their position. Immediate and long-term risks should be weighed and I think the parents did the best they could, given the knowledge that they had.

It's heartrending and fearful enough for a parent to find out that one's child so young wants to end his life. I cried when I read that article... and though I have my suicidal lows because I too am bipolar (diagnosed at age 33), nothing could be worse than knowing that your child so young as Max would want to end his life.

I agree with Phillip that bipolar diagnosis in children should always take the conservative route, but let's always remember that there are always exceptions to rules -- even with a vague rule we all subscribe in when talking about bipolar disorder. Max I believe is bipolar -- among a host of other diagnoses.

Yesterday I was trapped in a place (a job)where I could read comments but not respond. I have to say I agree with all of the comments here though I must correct Sara who wrote that KiKi Chang wants all humans medicated for some "prodomal disorder" by clarifying, that's all humans except for himself, who by his own superior, objective diagnostic skills has been determined to be the only "sane" person alive.

Meanwhile there's this precious snippet from the Newsweek article:?"By 18 months, the day-care facility was threatening to throw Max out, and the Blakes were desperate. Richie, the drill sergeant, tried the strict discipline he'd grown up with—he said no, he withheld TV and dessert, he spanked. It didn't work. Amy, the lawyer, tried bargaining with her toddler."

The article presupposes that being a Marine drill sargent places ones fathering skills above reproach or even the most superficial investigation and does the same with divorce lawyer and motherhood. I wonder where the studies proving most kids with these sorts of parents don't go "nuts" are. And of course we hear that since the kid hadn't stepped in line by the grand of age of 18 MONTHS!!!! the father tried Marine drill sargent tactics on him. Could this be anything other than child abuse? And futhermore if by 18 months the kid is already watching so much tv that taking it away is punishment, anything other than neglect.

Yuck, these parents and their doctor should be criminally convicted of child abuse and their assets seized to establish a trust to care for the child all of his life and then for these folks life in prison, or maybe a psych "hospital."

Actually Kiki Chang has told the story when speaking to an audience that Zoloft "saved his life" -- I haven't been able to find it in print and it was hearsay from a good friend who actually heard him saying this to an audience of high schoolers and their parents some years ago now, but I actually think there is a good chance he's (still) medicated. In fact I think most of the people who are as "religious" as he is about the "protective" effects of psych meds have got to be medicated themselves.

I find it challenging to comment on this article in a way that affirms the dignity of all involved. From what I can see and my own experience of healing from abuse and neglect, it seems clear that the parents are contributing to the challenges Max faces. But how do you say this in a way that does not take away their dignity as human beings, too, as people who were once children themselves, who also have lived with a history of mental illness in their families and been powerless to do anything about it? How can I be compassionate in my critique? I feel a desire to be righteous in defense of Max, the one without the power, but I know that disregarding his parents' humanness only entrenches a cycle of disrespect for human dignity.

This story made me sick. I'm not going to claim that turning 18 is a magic on-switch for symptoms that were nonexistent minutes before, but two years old? Because he wouldn't sleep through the night and he was "hyperactive"? My cousin has raised four boys, the youngest pair were twins. Let me tell you, when they were in their terrible twos phase, that house was a wreck. Did it mean they were "mentally ill"? No, it meant they were kids! Nothing they cited BEFORE he was medicated sounds like anything to me. All the other symptoms appeared AFTER he was medicated. He didn't become suicidal until after been on the meds for some time. And considering he was on lithium, zyprexa, and 36 other meds in those years, I can only imagine what irreparable damage has been done to that child. In the video when he's giggling and talkative, they say "that's the mania". OR that's the several dozen drugs you've had him on since he was a toddler. Unbelievable. Newsweek shouldn't be playing a bleeding-heart symphony for this team, they should be questioning the validity of this whole diagnosis. But they talk about it like it's completely legitimate, when most of the psychiatric profession thinks these guys are out to lunch. I wrote a letter to the editor regarding this article, and I think everyone should do the same. Sick. Absolutely sick.

My son, Faaiz is 2 years & 7 months running. He talks less but al the time he is busy doing something. Like climbing on window,table, wants to play with water in the bathroom, utensils in the kitchen etc. actually he prefer to touch important household things than his toys. if we refused he got angry. how can i manage & behave with my son.most of the person in my family got tired, sometime i also angry with him, especially his stubborn behave.

Please make suggestion for me.

Moon

Moon,

Give your son his own kitchen box of toys. Plastic spoons, pots and pans to use as drums, toss it all in there. My kids all loved to play with that stuff more than typical toys. 2 year olds are curious, inventive and high spirited, just create a space where he can call it his own. They do love water, they like to hear it, taste it, touch it...when he takes a bath give him cups to pour water with--just a few ideas, but mostly don't give up, it is tiring but joyous watching them grow up. Good luck.