This is the same paper that ran a Sunday entertainment section piece depicting Liz Spikol peering through slats in a window.(which was a horrible stigma-producing piece in my opinion)

The East coast has absorbed the Biederman pediatric bipolar bullshit, embraced it and mainstreams it, lending way to stigma, bad diagnosing. What a shock.

Most ppl don't know who Judith Warner is, they don't care about childhood bipolar, and they don't understand the influence Biederman has had with ADHD/Bipolar.

to: Phil Dawdy
[tried to send this to your e-mail, which got turned back, so I'm tryoing this route - RT]
I'm a former longtime activist, and a former patient who, somewhat curiously was not badly abused by psychiatry
(largely i think because I'm so old I came along - in the mid 60's - before the bloody Civil War in psychiatry which resulted in
the overthrew of the Interpersonal Paradigm and replaced it the primitve, reductionist faux 'Biological' Paradigm, which
lends itself so quickly to use of involuntray treatment.
My question is if you know about the issue so dear to psychiatry now of Insurance Parity?
Below is something I wrote to Obama's campaign. Just thought i'd see if it resonates with you at all
It is sent somewaht hurriedly - I'm going to look more at your site, or blog, now.
Regards, Ron Thompson

Here's a policy suggestion an a 2nd tier but still major issue
which I strongly suspect no one has brought to the Senator's attention.
It is an issue of almost no importance to the campaign, but would be of
considerable importance to millions of people when and if, as President, he
is asked to sign a certain bill.
The issue is Insurance "Parity", i.e. the highly misleading claim that
it is "discrimination" not to require as a matter of law that insurance for
physical and mental illness be offered on an equal or "parity" basis. In
fact, there has usually been considerable difference in insurance coverage
of the two categories of illness.
But what those in favor of "parity" never tell you (and if the person
reading this is in favor of parity, I'm dead and wasting my time, as that
person will just bury this memo on a highly emotional issue) is that passage
of parity will mean that VOLUNTARY care for physical illness is equated in
the law with INVOLUNTARY care for mental illness.
My simple proposition is that while VOLUNTARY care for physical and
mental illness should perhaps be subject to parity of insurance coverage,
[I'm being disengenuous here, as nothing would infuriate NAMI,
drug companies, and psychiatrists more than to leave out or treat
differently INVOLUNTARY 'care']
the principle of parity should not be extended to INVOLUNTARY mental health
care.
Even if such INVOLUNTARY care is a good thing, it is NOT the same thing
as VOLUNTARY care, and it is bad medicine, bad ethics, muddled thinking, and
bad law to ignore this distinction
This is what no advocate for federally, legally mandated Parity
between mental and physical health care will tell you, and what I think an
informed President (and his staff) should know.

I thought Biederman was a man. Am I wrong? I thought most of the folks pushing the bipolar child paradigm in psychiatry were men in fact. I'm confused by the mention of the reporter's gender, I bet her editor who assigned the story is a man.

The Times is getting worse and worse in general though, it's very sad.

Haha, right on Philip. I love that youre not afraid to call bullshit when you see it. Its refreshing. Can I send you cash by mail? Do you have a PO box or is there some other way I can send you cash? ( I dont have a checking account as of now) But I really need to send you some money for your fundraiser. Its imperative.

alison, what i meant to type and did a poor job of was raising the point that whenever women write about the bp child thing in the nyt then the bp thing is a legit dx and when male reporters take it on it's all controversial and dubious. oh and i know for a fact that the editor who handled egan's piece for the times is a woman.

i'm not trying to genderize this issue but it's an interesting dynamic at the times. i'm not saying this dynamic applies to america at large, so relax.

as for biederman, yes he is a man and so are some of the psych docs who want the bp kids thing to reign supreme. but so are some woman, notably janet wozniak and melissa del bello.

Horrifying. I just knew this would be terrible as I got wind of it a few days ago. It is so easy for writers to get seduced by the "party line" and swayed by those KOLs especially when the writers are neophytes to the topic as Jennifer most certainly is. The learning curve on this stuff is pretty steep and she appears to have failed miserably in getting even part way up the curve. Her e-mail is on her website, guys. Let's go after her and write to the magazine as well.

I'm sorry, I had to stop at page 7 of the articles. FIrst of all it was a more belabored re-hack of past articles that follow childrens lives for a few days or weeks. For me, I wonder how Ms. Egan can tout the Bipolar kid diagnosis zealots in one paragraph and then reference people like Gabrielle Carlson who is a professor of psychiatry at Stonybrook. She says it right there. Bipolar is uncommon in kids under 10 and presents as the classical disease -- not the Wozniak-Biederman crapteria. If you read other things shes written its very funny because she has a way of being sarcastic and using a lot of hyperbole to counter the corrupt scientific theories the Harvard people tout. I think its funny because by the looks of her picture at the psychiatry departments website, she seems like she could be my grandmother.

Im sorry, I know its supposed to be off limits, but none of these families written about in almost any coverage of this topic seem normal. I dont have to say anything about James' "family". But it's like Dr. Carlson apparently mentioned as reported in this article. Peoples [parents] brains just "slam shut". Its a diagnosis for simple people or those who justdon't know any better. And as one of the other psychiatrists mentioned about "bipolar kids" grown-up... I was diagnosed by a doctor who works at Biederman's clinic in Boston and is really highly-touted at Harvard psychiatry. And Ive been now told a million times over -- by many psychologists and psychiatrists I dont have bipolar disorder and never did. And some have even been apologetic about this enormous mistake. Considering Im still struggling with the fragments of a shattered life because of this diagnosis and its treatment as a child ( I was 12, I am 20 now), I'm doing pretty well. And in college.

The Harvard people are delusional. That place is crazy. Its like a church here in the Northeast. And its doctors are really like priests. They can say whatever they want. All they need is to find an empty soapbox lying around. Screw research. Its really gross. And the same goes with Harvard's psychiatric Hospital. McLean. An even bigger cult. Its crazy there.

A person like me is not an exception. A once-in-a-while misdiagnosis. I am the prototypical bipolar child. My mom has a lot of issuse. probably like many of these moms and ate the diagnosis up. Its only years later that anyone has recognized none of what was done was in my best interest, or was all difficult choices with little other choice, or whoever these people continuousl misrepresent their dillemas. My heart goes out to all these children. Because with this high level of top-notch, psychiatric care, they have little more than a prayer to make it. Sadly.

Our culture has unfortunately cannon-balled to the opposite pole of blaming the parents (or "mother" as it was once put). These is probably several times more destructive, because now these children are suffering medical harm from these drug treatments. Parents have a great responsibility. And often within the context of a family too much goes unexamined because its seen as improper or even down right wrong to judge a parents style of handling their property. For more about this, there ic great stuff written by Bruce Perry MD PhD, he's a psychiatrist and child trauma expert.

This repoter made no qualms about slanting the coverage of the Harvard decree as positive. Which I think is unfair for such a widely read publication like the NYT to do.

And the part about the genetics of bipolar. Look, there isn't an aota of credible or consistent, half-way decent basic-science research taht anyone outside of the insulate field of psychiatry would consider to be acceptable as proof that the disorder is as heritable as claimed. The real disorder in adults, is heritable to some degree. But there is nothing beyond correlatove prove. There are no reasonable candidate genes either in adults or children. Psychiatrist make wildly overstated claims. There is no serious basic science reaserch looking into how such genes could even cause such a heterogebnous disorder of many behaviors and mental states. Of course the status of this research is identical for almost all psychiatric disorders, espcially child bipolar. Kiki Chang is one who just touts sexy claims and sexy science. Theres no serious basic science research to back up what he says. It would behoove him to show even some slight humility in accepting what he doesnt actually know to be fact. If anyone follows research, you might know that the field of psychiatric geentics is basically collapsing on itself as was written about in Nature recently. The worst thing that could have happened to the field of psychiatric genetics is the human genome being mapped. For every other legitimate research enterprise that tasks completion has been a blessing which has produces at least some results moving forward -- not just left the scum of failed theories on the hands of researchers like it has in this particular field.

Genes and molecular biology aside, kids need a lot of things and psychiatry caters to none of them. So if their parents fail, society is guaranteed to exacerbate their suffering. How about? Less focus on pathology. More focus on adaptation. Serious efforts and supports for keeping children with severe emotional disturbances in home and the community. See the Rosies Law website for an awesome plan an awesome advocay group in Massachusetts has about this topic. Trauma informed care... I think supporting parents in general is the first step to rooting out situations, where, for whatever set of complex and difficult reasons, parents end up acting against their child's best interest.

Although, I think there is too much resistance form the top and in the medical profession with this issue, Bipolar Children...

Is anyone interested in starting a weblog about this issue with me? The Bipolar Kids thing in general. I think its a topic that deserves its own undivided attention and Id be willign to take it pretty seriously, However, I have close to zilch web savvy so thats one serious impediment for me doing this on my own. But also, two minds ( or more!) are better than one. And I think the site could be more thorough and dynamic that way. Just throwing out an invitation. I seriously apologize for my long windedness. Thanks. JC cjj54@cisunix.unh.edu

and Joseph Biederman has led Janet Wozniak and Melissa de Bello in studies of psych drugs on kids, (for example, in 1999 Wozniak teamed up with Biederman and ran Risperdal study on 'bipolar 5 year olds' .

Joseph Biederman is the head of the top of the east coast bipolar mafia and the dribbles below him are money hungry pharma whores just like him.

Judith Warner should be googled if anyone wants her backgroud: she loves, loves, loves to talk about medicating little ADHD boys.

BUT then, that's how most school classrooms are too, whether they are boys or girls, kids who wiggle get drugged.

There are usually more boys in a classroom though, so the stats could be looked at from a male vs. female population %.

Anyway you chop this up, it's about a 4000% increase of pediatric bipolar disorder since Biederman walked into America, so take that and ponder it.

Childhood and Bipolar Foundation sure bought his theory (that's all it is) and the pharma companies paid him millions and remember he forgot to report it?

The NYTimes should really do some investigative journalism but then again their name is all some people need to hear to believe it's the truth.

JC, I don't know how this sounds, but I am so glad you made it out of the pediatric BP dx alive and well --to write your story here.

THANK YOU!!

I know that I'm small fry, but I'm hoping that the Brilliant Blog 2008 that I passed on to you might carry a little weight. It's a post that I'd like you to cross-post, or whatever, in hopes of saving a man's life. He's schedualed to die on Sept. 23rd.

Please take a moment to check out my post:

http://danomacnamarrah.blogspot.com/2008/09/stop-killing-of-troy-davis.html

I'll be back over the week-end. Best wishes, Dano

Perhaps the pediatric bipolarity will appear on DSM-5.
I believe Biederman has created another symptom:
"chronic irritability".
What does it mean?

Pediatric mania: a developmental subtype of bipolar disorder?

Biederman J, Mick E, Faraone SV, Spencer T, Wilens TE, Wozniak J.

Pediatric Psychopharmacology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114-3139, USA.

2000 Sep 15;48(6):458-66

Umm...well...I actually do know children under the age of twenty who have bi-polar disorder. One of my close friends has a son who has this and is doing well on his medication. He also has epilepsy. He is a teen. I am not sure where you are going with this post.

My mother has schizophrenia and her first hospitalization for it was when she was in her twenties. But I am thinking that she probably showed some signs of her mental illness when she was a teen or even earlier. I think that what is happening now is that they are just getting better at assessing and making the diagnosis for these disorders.

Are people being overly diagnosed or are there times when the diagnosis is not accurate? Sure. I am sure this happens. But I don't think one can make global statements that these types of disorders do not exist for children.

I hear what you are saying about medication and I have always been one to lean more towards not using meds and especially with young children who are still in development. But now with more experience, I am slightly changing my bias. I am more open to hearing all sides of the discussion.

Your site is definitely thought provoking. I will have to come back to read more of you.

Philip,

Thank goodness you are still around and cranking out good journalism. I would hate to think of how much more hopeless and afraid I would feel if there were only the New York Times article and no place to see an intelligent, well reasoned response.

Though the article is problematic, it does at least mention that many people, among them psychiatrists, doubt the diagnosis is valid. And it clearly states that there is no biological basis for bipolar disorder in the following sentence: "Most clinicians say they believe that there will eventually be clear “biological markers” of bipolar disorder: ways to see and measure the disease as we can seizures, cancer or hypertension." In other words, to date there are no biological markers, and a good sign, they don't include "schizophrenia" as a condition with biological markers.

Merelyme, would that it were true that we are better at identifying serious mental illness at an earlier age, but we are not. There are NO tests or laboratory methods for identifying schizophrenia, bi-polar disease, depression or any other of the usual psychiatric diagnoses. They are all diagnosed via impressions of the examiner based on a list of symptoms, a list developed by committee. And frequency of a given diagnosis depends considerably on where the examiner was trained. So a child seen as bi-polar by someone trained by Biederman's group almost certainly would not be so diagnosed by someone who does not subscribe to that group's theories. That is not science, folks. Not by a long shot.

At this time the whole biological basis for mental illness is very much up in the air, despite what the Biederman's and drug companies would have you believe.

This whole pediatric bi-polar issue is deeply disturbing to me.

Merelyme, I'd like to address your comment so that you might understand where I am coming from in comments here....my daughter is a product of mis-dx of pediatric bipolar disorder way back in 1999. She is now 20 and disabled, after nearly a decade of mass-medication and psych's that would not hear me about the meds, (was told I would be the reason she killed herself if she went off of them), so much more.

But, what is alarming, is that YOUNG children, under age 10 are being misdiagnosed and medicated with (more antipsychotics!)and the same criteria for dx for adults is the only thing in place for dx, and the meds are not at all studied for safety for long term use in a growing child's brain or body.

Many adults can say when they knew something was up and are now bipolar, I certainly do not dismiss mental illness existing, I am always speaking out as a parent watchdog for other parents of very young children, I hate to see them lose their child to this like I have.

My daughter was a 4.0GPA high school student, and after psych docs hospitalzied her and trialed 11 meds in 13 weeks, and then massive over-doses of antipsychotics in years to follow (as a legal adult in the psych system)...she is now unable to speak or do anything, and is in a residential care facility with showers and eating as goals.

This is why I am grateful to see JC's story here, as a young person who can say what happened, where my daughter who lived the same life cannot.

Her story started with an antidepressant for bed-wetting and I unfortunately took her to a psych when she had a pyschotic reaction to the drug.

This is an excellent thought provoking site and it's the one that inspired me to start my own blog. I'm so grateful for Philip and his relentless pursuit of exposing the truth behind so many issues. (there's so much corruption it is mind-blowing)

Stephany @ soulful sepulcher blog

Philip, thanks so much for jumping on this journalistic atrocity. I'm working on a longer response of my own, but for the time being I wanted to be sure to congratulate you for your ongoing dedication to these issues.

Egan and other cultural commentators who take the party line at face value are doing (hope not irreparable) damage to productive conceptions of the interrelationship between treatment and illness, and it is absolutely imperative that such thoughtless work be diagnosed and incarcerated.

Thanks again, Philip.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am definitely open to learning more. I suffer from depression and I am probably on the bi-polar spectrum and I have resisted taking drugs for my mood disorder. Tried Prozac and it was a medical disaster for me. I watched my mother have all sorts of side effects from her psychotropic drugs. So I enter this from a bias against the use of a lot of drugs. But then I did work in the field of helping both children and adults with dual diagnoses and sometimes the meds do help. I don't think there is any one black and white answer. But I definitely want to hear more. If the message is to be skeptical of what you hear then I am listening. I take nothing for granted.

You have a great site here...and I will definitely be back to read and learn more.

"Prevention and Early Intervention
Although DSM was initially created as a tool for clinicians to diagnose specific illnesses, future modifications should acknowledge the rowing emphasis on prevention and early intervention in the processes of developing an illness —a characteristic of all of medicine in the current era. This emphasis might follow from the observation that the initial signs of many
chronic mental disorders emerge during childhood. Routine well-child surveillance, along with the identification and classification of high-risk individuals, high-risk environments,and early signs and symptoms of brain disorders, represent important clinical goals —as important for mental disorders as for cancer or diabetes.
An emphasis on primary and secondary prevention is particularly relevant to classification systems for children and adolescents,in which an overall framework of normal developmental and maturational stages must also be considered. Research studies of early intervention for children and
adolescents are needed. In particular, school-based programs that screen for and modify the risk of developing psychiatric disorders (e.g.,children with exposure to violence,with low school performance,with poor peer relationships,or with suicidal ideation)are necessary. Numerous examples abound from pediatrics and developmental medicine in which some form of early environmental modification (primary prevention)or intervention
(secondary prevention/early detection)acts to reduce the likelihood of disorders later in life. For example,there is emerging evidence that adult osteoporosis can be reduced by interventions during childhood. These include increasing calcium intake and possibly decreasing intake of carbonated phosphate-containing soft drinks during the period of peak bone mass increase (during the late stages of pubertal development)and also include the early identification of individuals at increased genetic risk for osteoporosis (Cardon et al.2000; Golden 2000). A second....." p. 126

This is the DSM-5 research agenda.
As you can see they are very interested in children and adolescents.
It seems that psychiatric disorders will continue to be compared with physical imbalances.
Diabetes, cancer and osteoporosis.
Diabetes again?
Why do they love to compare the brain function with diabetes?
I've loved the osteoporosis comparison!
And it's good that with all the knowledge they claim they have it will be able to prevent mental disorders in early ages.
I don't know why I feel like crying.
Perhaps tears of joy!

Do you honestly consider it good journalism to post critically (or uncritically, for that matter) about an article you haven't even read?

And just for clarification's sake, is it your opinion that there are no bipolar children at all, or that the condition is overdiagnosed?

Perhaps separation anxiety, remember the first day of school?, will be taken as a disease according to DSM-5.
A pill for you first day at school!

From her website, I get this email address for Jennifer Egan, jegan8@hotmail.com . I think we all should email her personally to let her know how much harm she is causing with her functionally illiterate, pseudoscience tripe.

lkhllywd,
Since you're fully aware of the article, and the way you express yourself shows that you understand a lot about pediatric bipolarity, could you explain us?
Please don't forget to specify what kind of bipolarity you're talking about especially how does mania is presented in children.
I don't know if I ever saw a children in a maniac phase.
Thank you in advance.

The PBS Frontline program "The Medicated Child" (free online viewing)features a child with school anxiety being seen by Dr.Bacon, and the psychiatrist offered the mother Xanax for the young boy. She resisted that, yet the psych increased the other meds he was taking....this after the mother went to the appointment concerned asking about the 60 minutes Rebecca Riley program. (Rebecca Riley was 4 yrs old and died as a result of Depakote/Seroquel/and other med(s).)

So yes, these kids are being treated at young ages and the over-dx of the children is in my opinion the concern here.

The DSM-V is going to broadbase all diagnoses and antipsychotics are the new drug of choice for doctors (thanks to marketing schemes of pharma).

This is a safety issue for children's health, and the FDA stating that the pediatric dx is valid based on Biederman's theory and the approval of Risperdal and Abilify, sets the stage for a generation of disaster with children being medicated for no reason on drugs that have NO long term studies on kids.

My daughter IS a decade long study for this paradigm and I can tell you all the outcome is a disaster, her life will never be the same, and as a parent, it takes me a long time in the morning to not feel like a complete idiot who was duped by this paradigm, by doctors who were too!

I'm one of the more "pro-medication" folks who contributes here (with full compassion to Stephany's daughter's devastating experience).

And yet ...

If you're more agnostic about the question of diagnosing bipolar disorder in children (and, for the record, I had unquestioned symptoms of BP as a teen-ager in retrospect), then I still think some things in the article should have struck you as mind-boggling, as they struck me:

First, the idea that there is only one, highly subjective diagnostic criteria ("irritability") separating childhood bipolar disorder from ADHD. Now, if you think ADHD is overdiagnosed (as I do and most people do), and Ritalin and related drugs overprescribed, what does that say about childhood BP and the drugs prescribed for it?

The other, far more disturbing phenomenon in the article was the treatment of prescriptions of lithium, Zyprexa, Risperdal and other incredibly powerful psychotropic drugs as ROUTINE and CASUAL by both psychiatrists and parents.

These are medications that can and often do have severe side effects in adults (some of which have been exposed by our blogmaster, natch).

Yet the tenor of the discussions (as portrayed by the Times, at least) between psychiatrists and parents wasn't, "This is a last resort, there could be side effects, we're desperate," but rather, "Just take another pill."

That's the absolute worst of psychiatry, whether for children or adults.

Since you're fully aware of the article, and the way you express yourself shows that you understand a lot about pediatric bipolarity, could you explain us?

Could I explain you? No, I probably couldn't.

Please don't forget to specify what kind of bipolarity you're talking about

I don't have to explain anything to you. Evidently, you and a lot of others here have come to your own conclusions already. I asked, for clarification's sake, if Mr. Dawdy believes there are no bipolar children. So are there or are there not? Either I or II will do. I'd accept cyclothymia as well. Personally, I think the condition is overdiagnosed, but I certainly believe it exists.

especially how does mania is presented in children.

Are you asking how I think mania presents in children? In my own case it was hypomania, and it presented then (starting at age 11 in 1977) very much like it presents now, except there was much more anger to it and I tended to throw and break things and occasionally hit people.

I think this is a good discussion with many viewpoints. Just to clarify I am not anti-med, and my daughter's case/story is very extreme(and sad)and my goal as a parent is just to tell the story so maybe it won't happen to another child w/out reason.

I think it's interesting to hear adults talk about how they can trace back to where they felt bipolar symptoms, and I think it's interesting to hear JC...I think for me, the core issue is medicating little kids, 5 yr olds on these powerful chemicals is truly scary.

This is what I think is this blog's strong point, is the diverse discussions that stem in comments.

One of the odd things about the article in my opinion was the idea, treated as a consensus in the article, that some "bipolar" children recover with age. What does that say about treating these kids with drugs for what is a temporary condition and how does thinking one can recover, i.e. become unbipolar, say about the entire bipolar paradigm, the point of which seems to be that once diagnosed as bipolar, one must always take meds to protect society from the once diagnosed? There are so many troubling and bizarre inconsistencies in the entire concept of bpd...

I have the hard copy here, picked it up when I walked across the street to get my sunday bagel and cream cheese.

they have a huge article as well on katie price and her umm, 'twins'. This is news? This is what the Times is writing about? Something that should have been in a magazine like Cosmo?

Is this the new thing for newspapers- i;ll print your article, if you wear a low cut shirt? Or write about girls that stoop to conquer?

Sigh. At least the crossword puzzle still rocks.

Now that I've read the full article, I'm even more baffled that you would offer such scathing criticism based only on hearsay.

1. The first mention of psychiatrists who disagree with the concept of bipolarity in children appears on page 1, not page 10.

2. Biederman is mentioned on page 5 as coauthor of the "Is Your Child Bipolar?" article, but isn't interviewed. Janet Wozniak is the one who was actually interviewed.

3. I'm not sure what your problem is regarding the inclusion of irritability as a symptom of mania. It is established that it can indeed be a symptom of mania, as well as hypomania or a mixed episode.

4. Having actually read the article, I didn't get the idea that Jennifer Egan is either for or against medicating children for bipolar disorder. I found the piece pretty balanced, overall.

5. So, have you read it yet?

Look lkhllywd,

I can't speak on behalf of Philip, but:

1. Philip has said before he does not doubt the existence of the geuine classic disorder in kids, which is rare. Every rational person agrees about that. No one denies it altogether including Philip.

2. He made it a point to say he didn't read the article and he was speaking from second-hand information (some which proved to be wrong, your #1). Big deal.

3. Biederman and Wozniak are one and the same. He doesn't do interviews with the media anymore. And he is the Keyest of all the "Key Opinion Leaders" in this field.

4. Philip's criticism wasn't scathing.

5. This article was very poorly developed, only in the sense it was lopsided. Her opinion (pro-disease) is very palpable in this article.

6. My own opinion about "irritability": Irritability is NOT mania. Irritability does not equal mania. Manic persons can be irritable but thats the least of their symptoms. Children's irritability, the exact irritability Biederman and others talk about is not mania. Those children never develop real, classical bipolar disorder. There are actually longitudunal data that prove that. In addition to what most clinicians already know about "bipolar children" never devloping the real disease. You can't say irritability is mania in children. No, -- MANIA is mania in children. His criteria are a tautology. Or at least, the way he denominates diseases is.

In addition Bipolar II disorder is not a valid disease. There is no pathology associated with it. No basic science research. Just alot of sexy "science" about psychiatric symptomatology. And as applied to children, Bipolar II disorder is firmly in the realm of science fiction -- it is not a valid disease.

1. It is indeed a big deal that Mr. Dawdy did not read the article before blogging about it. He puts himself forth as an authority and a journalist, and he solicits donations to support himself as both.

2. I'd call using the word "bullshit" and calling a reporter "lame" pretty scathing.

3. Again, I did not see the article as lopsided. It seemed, if anything, observational in tone. Does she come across as pro-disease because she interviewed people who purport to have some experience with the disease? Would you prefer that she not present that side at all?

4. I imagine you're anti-DSM, because if you weren't you'd probably be more accepting of the fact that irritability is listed as ONE of the criteria (several of which need to be met) defining mania, hypomania and mixed states.

And as for your blanket opinion regarding Bipolar II, there is indeed pathology associated with it. There are also countless studies of it. There's disagreement as to its existence among children, but I certainly believe in it, having had it myself. If there's anyone living in the realm of science fiction, it's you, dear.

5. Mr. Dawdy, have you read the article yet? Do you answer your own comments, or do you send your minions to do it for you?

oh yes i've read it now, twice. i stand by bullshit and lame. it's one of the slipperiest articles i've read on the bp kids nonsense in a long time. she's clearly drunk the kool aid.

idilewild,
if you even bothered for one minute to research Biederman, Wozniak, Jamieson,Chang,De Bello,Wilens,Spencer,Hellendar, just to start, you would see what you are defending is pure KOL pharma-induced and funded BS.

Whatever your agenda here, will absolutely never change the truth, which is that these ppl are evil, Biederman refuses interviews and he is completely (in his own clipped words in the PBS Frontline "Medicated Child")in agreement that he is responsible for the 4000% increase in pediatric bipolar disorder.

Interesting harrassment coming from a drug-rep.

OK, I'm a hypocrite for reading this thread after saying at another posting I don't read C & A postings, but I gotta say when I saw 31 comments for this posting, it screamed READ ME!!

I sense others have similar appraisals of the threads? Lkhllywd, for what it is worth to you as you do not know me from adam, thank you for your contribution here. While I think you are a bit harsh on Philip, the man has connections that give him preemptive access and options. That is one reason why I read here (but why the hell I repeatedly comment and get skewed is probably a sign of addiction on my end), so I hope you'll read on for a bit to get a flavor of his potential.

You'll never read 95% of the stuff he writes of in general media without an agenda from said media. It is his collective that bothers me to no end, and they are here for the duration. But, even like a broken clock, I watch for the twice a day chance there will be valid points.

Check out Carlat's blog and Clin Psych Philip links to here. Good stuff!!!

Hope you'll chime in again! (caught the pun after I wrote this)

therapyfirst: board certified psychiatrist

idilewild,

Did I miss something? I can't find a comment by someone called "idilewild." Might you be addressing me?

if you even bothered for one minute to research Biederman, Wozniak, ...Hellendar, just to start, you would see what you are defending is pure KOL pharma-induced and funded BS.

What am I defending? My opinion that a blogger should actually read an article before attacking it? My opinion (and I stated this before) that pediatric bipolar disorder does exist, but that it's overdiagnosed? My impression that the article didn't come across as another advertisement for the pharmaceutical industry? Or maybe it's my own personal experience, both as an adolescent and as an adult, with bipolar disorder. How is more research into the people you listed going to do anything to change those things?

Whatever your agenda here...

My only agenda is to weigh in with my own opinion and experience.

.. will absolutely never change the truth, which is that these ppl are evil...

No opinion here. But if you've had an experience that makes you believe that, I really am sorry. I do know that some terrible things have happened in the name of psychiatry.

Interesting harrassment coming from a drug-rep.

I think you may have mistaken me for someone else. Would that I were a drug rep. I'd spend a lot less on prescriptions each month.

Oh my stars and garters, a reasonable and critical thinker has stumbled into our little parade? And our welcoming committee is off its meds.

How is more research into the people you listed going to do anything to change those things?

Wins the thread. Which is to say ad hoc never cuts it, and that it even needs to be pointed out is a comment on the extent of our groupthink, which is itself an epic fail.

But it's not like we take any of this too seriously, lol.

You people carry this Mad Pride thing too far. You're scary scary people who don't have an ounce of empathy for these children or their parents--or, apparently, neurons that sufficiently talk to each other so you can understand complex subjects.

You shouldn't even be allowed a blog space, because too many vulnerable people might be confused by your mad meanderings.

Do yourself a favor and take your meds. You'll feel better in the morning.

END OF COMMENT

Readers, I am publishing this comment just to give you guys a sense of how asinine and ill-informed some trolls are out there. This person has also been banned.

Philip Dawdy

Oh blargh, make that "ad hom" with a pox on "senior moments."

"Irritability is NOT mania."
JC

Yes! It's more related with hiperactivity.

Philip, I don't normally comment on your excellent blog but CJ's poignant comments above leave me feeling it would be very remiss not to say something.

I'd just like to say your use of the word "bullshit" sounds so Australian, I know many psychiatrist colleagues and other mental health professionals here who use exactly the same adjective to describe the Harvard diagnosis of "Pediatric bipolar disorder".

In 2005 I've heard about the book "On Bullshit" by Harry Frankfurt Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Princeton University.
Has anybody read it?
“bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about. Thus the production of bullshit is stimulated whenever a person’s obligations or opportunities to speak about some topic exceed his knowledge of the facts that are relevant to that topic.”
Sounds interesting.
:)

One of the things we've never touched upon here is the benefit to some (and note I say SOME) parents of early labeling. Basically, it greases the skids for institutional placement when the child hits the stormy seas of adolescence. It establishes a pattern and history which makes getting an out-of-control adolescent out of the home ever so much easier. One woman I know had all five of her beautiful children labelled with special ed diagnoses by the age of three. Then it was on to childhood SSDIB and out the door when the kid became too troublesome at adolescence.

Some families I've worked with continued to collect childhood DIB payments while the child was out of the home in a school-funded institutional placement--the best of both worlds. It was common in one agency I worked in for parents to start screaming for placement when the kids hit age 13 or 14. I suspect the age is now younger.

Needless to say, these were some pretty disturbed people. Fortunately, they're the exception in the general population but I assure you there's a whole sub-culture of people who swap notes amongst themselves on how to get their kids diagnosed early and often. Some are merely trying to survive, some seem to have darker motives.

I live in New England. The only child I've ever met who was dxed bipolar had been sexually abused by her father, his parents and assorted uncles. She was three years old and frankly, if any adult had been through what this child had been through they'd be hanging off the chandeliers, too. The child ended up at Beiderman's hospital in Boston. She was three years old.

The child was dxed BP, abuse was ignored and court-ordered visitation continued. The child was drugged heavily. And in NH that hospital's word is the be all and end all. There's no arguing with the Gods of Boston Medicine. Harvard, no less. I'm out of this particular social and professional loop, thank goodness, so that child remains my only experience with childhood BP. It certainly left a bad taste in my mouth.

I need to say pointedly that the small group of parents to which I am referring are not on the same planet as Stephany who just wanted her kid to stop wetting the bed. But they do exist and they do find these diagnosis mills and they do use them to build a case against their children. It's a really sad, sad sight to see.

Sherry,

Among so many tragedies in the situations you mention is this one, if a parent is that dysfunctional, probably the child would be better off in another environment but as we all know generally the problem is that institutional care or foster care is usually at least as bad and sometimes worse than the child's original home environment. Serious problem with virtually no solution that I can see unless the government were really to begin funding respite, Soteria type places which it has to a small extent done because such places are so much cheaper to maintain than "psychiatric institutions."

That's a horrendous story Sherry. Being from the Boston area and being embroiled in the effects of that particular groups' worse-than-useless "science", I know how difficult it is to go up against these people who are just completely on a diff'nt planet. My mother to some degree could be counted among that "sub-culture" you mention. As I recognize those people, they are NAMI administrators, facilitators, volunteers -- NAMI members. It was really refreshing to hear your description of these people/caretakers, because its something I've recognized for a long time but could not have described as well as you did. Thanks for posting about that. My heart sinks for that little girl.

Ana, you always have great posts. And I think you are right the "irritability" is related to hyperactivity which is obviously alot more pronounced in boys. But what I gather is the Biederman people consider acting-out or being frustrated easily as part of this symptom, and in that way, is again obviously more pronounced in boys. Girl, even and especially when they're young usually take their symptoms into themselves and don't act out as much, then again 6 year-olds are 6 year-olds.

Sally, you have great posts too. You're always giving great insight. Thanks.

And Stephany, you too. You're always offering great insights, and are able to speak from a place of experience and your struggles. I always appreciate your ideas. You're always voice of reason in these comment threads.

JC - thanks~

I just finished reading CL Psych's great take down of this article at http://clinpsyc.blogspot.com/

My daughter wanted to stop wetting the bed and was concerned for 5th grade camp accidents. It was the PCP who rx'd Imipramine (antidepressant).Within 6 weeks she was talking suicide/homicide and someone suggested a psychiatrist. I went. 30 minutes later walked out with Luvox (another antidepressant)and "OCD" label, calling it "intrusive thoughts". Then psychosis and voices hit, and Melleril was called in for sleep aide.

Blind back then to medications, I "listened to the doctor". Within 2 months the dx was changed to "Early Onset Childhood Bipolar". All based on Imipramine reaction. Never seen by a pdoc unmedicated.

Do I ever wish I would have known to question the Imipramine? YES.

It's a nightmare, the last decade.

Research validating my thoughts? It's how I think, and pick this apart. If connecting the dots long enough, ppl can see the same KOL's and pharma, and the 4000% increase in pediatric bipolar.

Yes, I mispelled "idlewild" wrong, sorry for the confusion. That happens.

Stephany,
The mother of that 3-year old was a single parent who really seemed to be trying to do the right thing. The Boston hospital seemed like a godsend to her. They offered clarity in a very confusing situation. It was so appealing to her, a seeming lifeline.

She lived in a low-income (very low-income) housing development. Her next door neighbour (and "coach") was the one with five children under aged 7--"all special ed" she would proudly announce. The 7-year old was stepping out in front of cars, trying to strangle himself on his seat belt, etc.

Mother thrived on the attention she received for her "long suffering" and, of course, the exit was there for institutional placement of anyone who got too stroppy. (If placement is part of an IEP it's illegal to include any parental financial participation, hence the ability to keep the childhood DIB whilst the child is out of the home.)

Most docs seem to think that making a diagnosis of bipolar, borderline personality or other fave diagnoses in a person (adult or child) with a history of severe and early abuse somehow solves something. They want to stop there, congratulate themselves heartily and pass out the drugs. They don't "do" abuse. They often don't "do" anger, either. No wonder they hate PTSD as a diagnosis--unlike many other psych diagnoses, it's so clearly tied to its etiology it cries out for you to DO something. (Not that there's much you can do, most times. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. But most of us with PTSD would be pretty happy with prevention. That would require a rather massive change in society though, so we ain't goin' there in my lifetime, I'm sure.)

Sorry for rambling. I need to get out in the woods. We've lost three dogs in less than 9 months, the last two in the past 5 weeks. The last one died on Saturday. Coincidentally, we've been given two purebred Shelties, one a puppy. So basically it's as if someone dropped several pianos on our heads. I have no trouble following David Byrne's admonition to "stop making sense" lately!

Stephany, we're all brought up to trust those guys in white coats. We only notice the black hats later, after the train wreck. Sigh.

JC, and Sherry-- thank you.

Sherry it surely does feel like a train wreck most of the time. But we just forge ahead, one day at a time is all we can do.