I love Canadians.

Now let's review:

Barbara Geller

Joseph Biederman

Melissa Del Bello

Thase, Spencer

Janet Wozniak

CABF bpkids dot org

AstraZeneca, Melissa Del Bello

http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/seroquel-researcher-got-cash-from-az/2008-04-08

"the case of Dr. Melissa DelBello, a psychiatrist who got hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel expenses, consulting fees, and lecture payments from AstraZeneca. DelBello also happened to be lead author of a study that concluded kids did well on AstraZeneca's antipsychotic med Seroquel.

Here's the timeline: DelBello authored the study, published in 2002. In 2003, she got $100,000 from the drugmaker, or so she told the University of Cincinnati. In 2004, she reported $80,000. AstraZeneca's figures total $238,000.

Grassley was pretty peeved not only about the apparent conflict of interest--which AstraZeneca denied; DelBello wasn't available for comment--but also by the fact that DelBello also got NIH funding during the same period."

http://books.google.com/books?id=GncTiGDe2HIC&pg=PT76&lpg=PT76&dq=astrazeneca+melissa+delbello&source=bl&ots=uh-15PN6Lr&sig=lMmnuoeCsahe9Inul9D1MAjs_3k&hl=en&ei=ep7xSvfcLoikswOE7IT4AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CBAQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Book, Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents, by Barbara Geller, Melissa DelBello (advisory board members with Biederman at CABF bpkids dot org)

I don't think I need to remind everyone of the 4000% increase of childhood bipolar in the last decade, or, how Joseph Biederman broke protocol on the Risperdal study done in 5 year olds.

The parents that fell and still remain to fall into the trap ran at CABF should take serious note of how they have been manipulated by serious criminals, they run in a pack, a group, let's just call them "the Harvard Mafia", as Furious Seasons has done so well over the years.

These researchers fail to admit to the public that the drugs they use to prevent this so-called dx and symptoms often, almost always, create agitation in children and teens, cause explosive weight gain and permanent metabolic damage.

Then, of course there is the topic of a decade of use of these drugs on a growing brain, and resulting in brain damage, but of course it might take a Canadian research group to put that in a peer reviewed article too.

The concept that "agitation is mania" apparently doesn't hold just for kids. Based on my own experience being mislabled manic when I was severely anxious, and further reading around, I conclude that this construct is being applied to adults as well. Any excess energy is suspect.

I can't speak for anyone else but my son was originally diagnosed as bipolar at 5 yrs old. I did not believe the doctor at the time and refused to medicate him until he was 12 at which time - with the onset of puberty - he got mania with psychosis. You have to medicate psychosis if you want your child to live. So, which doctor was right (the diagnoses came from 2 different doctors)? I don't know. I do know that I am really glad I did not medicate until absolutely necessary as all of the meds are scary and they all have side effects and one should really not use them until absolutely necessary. I also know that not all American psychiatrists are quick to diagnose bipolar (ours now is very hesitant to diagnose it) and not all parents are quick to accept this diagnosis even when given it.

Dear Meg:

I suspect you believe in the Bipolar Child medication/diagnosis paradigm from your writings and looking at the resource list on your blog. I hope you continue to open your mind to the wealth of knowledge that is now available concerning medicating children, unethical practices, disheartening conflicts of interest, and corruption related to this topic within the pharmaceutical industry, medical community, research, and questionable advocacy groups.

Quote: "You have to medicate psychosis if you want your child to live"

Doesn't get much more black and white than that statement, correct. You take this pill or die. I can't tell you how many times I have heard that lie. I am in fact living and breathing proof of this fallacy and untruth.

I have to question the whole thought process that gives any psychotropic medication the omnipotent status and acclaim of being able to give the power of life or save an individual from their own self determination.

I've been there personally, observed hundreds of others, and I can't find any credible evidence or truth what so ever in this reasoning.

What I have found as an disturbing inconvenient truth; is more often than not, it's those not actually consuming or suffering the life altering effects of these drugs that so vigorously sing their praises and defend this flawed modality.

listed on your blog
_______________________________

Online Resources

National Alliance on Mental Health

http://www.nami.org/

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

http://www.dbsalliance.org/

Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation

http://www.bpkids.org/

The Bipolar Child

http://www.bipolarchild.com/

________________________

I hope you realize all the resources you have listed have something in common. I will leave it to you in answering what those suspicious similarities are.

I wish you, your family, and your son well.

Hello Meg,

I've a similar story with my son, though it's turned out well with the medication first time around. We were lucky.

Unfortunately Phil is being very misleading about this study, quoting only the summary. The study is very limited and it's actual conclusions much more couched.

I'm glad things seem to have turned out for the better for you.

Just-one,

I completely respect your opinion. I do believe in child bipolar disorder, particularly in teens, but I also believe in questioning everything, researching everything and making informed decisions and that is why I really enjoy this site. I enjoy reading Dawdy's research and I take it into consideration daily. I don't have all of the answers, nor do any of us, and things are never black or white. What is right for one person may not be right for the next. In my particular case, my son's bio-dad was never diagnosed and treated and as a result starting at puberty he self-medicated with street drugs and ended up in and out of juvenile facilities and then ultimately in prison. Prisons are full of people (teens and adults) with undiagnosed mental illness. And often times many of them don't get help until they are incarcerated. I also have had 2 people in my family commit suicide in the past year from mood disorders. I'm trying to avoid the same fate for my son. If you can do well without meds, I think that is great and obviously optimal. I myself take no meds and am happy and productive. I am just trying to give my child a good quality of life and my blog lists resources that I have utilized. That's all.

Just-one - Please check out the change on my resources page. I do think it's important to see all sides of any situation and I'm grateful for you input.

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/11/decade-later.html

As the parent of a 21 year old who has suffered a decade from the "childhood bipolar" paradigm, all I can offer is the list of links in my blog post above.

After children have been medicated for a decade, then come back and talk about the outcome, I hope it isn't like my daughter's.

Good luck.

I think there should be a law put in place that before a parent is allowed to place a child under say 13 on a drug cocktail via a diagnosis of any mental disorder, the parents be required to go through an intensive outpatient 6 week parenting course and take a good look at their own behaviors.

Then both the children and the parents should be made to watch Super Nanny every night for a month.

Also, the children in the house should no longer allowed to watch any TV shows or movies with themes of violence or sex.

I thought irritability was a symptom of depression in children. Seems a fine line between irritability and agitation, or am i missing something?

I think there should be a law preventing psychiatrists and PCP's from placing these kids on drugs.

I did not put my child on drugs the doctor did.

What needs to be addressed here, is the drugging of children in America, with drugs approved by the FDA, pimped out to doctors and parents being duped, played, manipulated into thinking and believing their children need the drugs or they will die.

That, is what happened to me in 1999, and all I can do now is tell others to stop listening to the paradigm in place, ran by the pharma industry, and pushed by doctors.

I do feel compelled to speak out as a parent who did not choose to drug her child.

An adverse reaction to an antidepressant given by the PCP for bed wetting unfortunately brought me to the place I am today as a parent and watching my daughter suffer is pain and agony enough without any further parental blame.

It is so easy to blame others for bad situations.

Pringle, are you a parent? just curious. I just dropped my twitter account, (you followed it) and I believe you know who I am, so I can ask a blunt question like this.

Super Nanny? do you really feel all parents are this stupid? if everyone else was duped by pharma and this system, paradigm, including reporters and journalists, then why the attack on parents?

I've been telling doctors for a decade the drugs were the culprit, and have never shut up since.

I walk the gauntlet in this forum just for being a mother, have been attacked here and remained a vocal part of this comment section because there are other parents that are being side swiped NOW like I was a decade ago.

We need to just tell reasons with evidence rather than give out "watch Super Nanny and create laws" bullshit.

Have a nice day.

Well, I don't think all parents are stupid (I'm one), but there is clearly a PARENTING problem in this country when FOUR TIMES the number of American kids are on psychotropic drugs than all the other countries combined... and to hear some of these parents discussing their decision-making process is really frightening. The parents do bear some responsibility here. Not in your case, and not in every case, but I really feel that the buck ultimately stops with the parents.

It's not quite true but basically, no-one outside the USA believes childhood bipolar exists except in vanishingly rare cases.

Amazing as always :)