Comments: Kids Non-Profit Head Slams Overmedicating Of Kids
Some take the"L" train...
Posted by JJ at November 4, 2009 01:37 PM
And darn right too. It's a human rights' violation to be giving kids these drugs and destroying their lives. Let's get real about what's going on here.
Posted by Sara at November 4, 2009 02:19 PM
@2:19
And darn right too. It's a human rights' violation to be giving anyone these drugs and destroying their lives. Let's get real about what's going on here.
FTFY.
Posted by marlborojones at November 4, 2009 03:27 PM
I will leave it @ agreeing with Sara
Posted by MsPiggy at November 4, 2009 03:31 PM
Ugh, I know. Ritalin is very chemically similar to Cocaine. And then if a kid goes psychotic while taking it, he is upgraded to Bipolar and started on a cocktail. It's just sick and it makes me want to hide in a hole.
Posted by kimbriel at November 4, 2009 03:45 PM
How do we get this out of our culture?
As the children will grow up to be messed up adults, in time the problem should take care of itself.
I wrote a short "Vampires : Disabled by mental illness" on my blog.
Posted by mark p.s.2 at November 4, 2009 05:11 PM
Adults theoretically have the ability to make informed consent. Kids really don't. That's why I limited the human rights' violation to kids but yes, the drugs are pretty much a weapon of destruction for one and all so if that's a human rights' violation then so be it. Gosh, anyone notice that I have it in for the world today? I'm angry.
Posted by Sara at November 4, 2009 08:57 PM
"Any drugs given to children 18 and under should be heavily monitored including six-month blood work and weekly therapy sessions, either group or family."
Absurd. And who is going to pay for that in practical terms? Who is even going to bother? We all know the answer to that.
Posted by julian baine at November 5, 2009 02:13 AM
Unfortunately, the only way individuals are largely willing to try to get things into or out of our culture is legislation when what we really need is a cultural shift -- a social movement. Nothing external is going to correct a single family situation. Those parents (and the school system, etc.) have to wake up to what they're doing. Instead most are content to listen to ads from drug companies when they say Drug X is safer than anything before and solves all your problems...besides, if it was bad the FDA wouldn't let it out, right? It is frightening, the trajectory kids are on. As has been said before here's your drug, here's your reaction and here's the drug for that and so on.
Posted by Aaron Be at November 5, 2009 07:33 AM
julian baine said:
"Absurd. And who is going to pay for that in practical terms? Who is even going to bother? We all know the answer to that."
Absolutely Absurd it is: Who's actually going to pay for those permanently disabled from metabolic problems including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, adding in drug created mental health issues, TD related movement disorders, as well as many other serious health issues related to this out of control psychotropic drugging culture.
The answer is not really rocket science after all: We all will pay not only in a huge financial burden; but also in the tremendous human suffering and toll brought upon society for not taking a strong stand against greed, corruption, dubious science, and a medical modality that has failed us over and over again.
Unfortunately the child, adult, and elderly victims are already paying this tragic price each and every day.
Posted by MsPiggy at November 5, 2009 10:42 AM
Great post, and great comments. I have said elsewhere on this blog: I worked in child mental health treatment in the old days, before Pharma figured out what a cash cow that was. We achieved great results without meds. Nowadays, there are teens I know in my personal life in these past 2 years, who have for various reasons ended up in a head-shrinker's office, ended up with bipolar dx, and ended up with these meds. The teen in our home has friends, and so has sleep-overs, I take the kids to events, etc. I know definitively that these kids do not have "bipolar." There is no way I could know a kid for 2 years, steady, and some how not observe "depression" or mania. Absolutely no way. I offer to help the families get on a correct track, out of friendly concern, and no one takes me up on my offer. This does not make sense, but I chalk it up to: "We" at some level know it is our irresponsible, libertine, "progressive," down-with-the-patriarchy parenting fashion that is responsible and "we" don't want to face the fact that our politics are wrong; "we" want an easy answer; "we" like being able to blame the powerless scapegoat (so much for anti-authority attitudes); and the docs are totally set up to believe the hype by their Pharma-sponsored CMEs, and the fact that docs typically begin their training straight out of demanding undergrad, and so have become recognized authorities despite NO real-world experience.
Posted by medsvstherapy at November 5, 2009 11:23 AM
Ms Piggy got it right.
75% of the mental health care, including the drugs, are paid for by tax payers now.
So when they get kids as young as infants and toddlers diagnosed with a serious mental disorder, all of us are paying to disable them with the drug cocktails they get put on, and we will continue to pay for their disabilities until they die.
Life-long customers are being recruited from the cradle because they are extremely profitable for all.
Parents can get SSI disability checks, schools get more money for special needs kids, and their health care is paid for by public programs.
Not to mention the obvious financial benefits to drug companies, pharmacies and prescribing doctors.
Everybody is making out like bandits by diagnosing kids mentally ill and until that money train is derailed, it will continue.
Posted by Evelyn Pringle at November 5, 2009 01:21 PM
Good article. Anyone know a way to get in touch with the author?
Posted by Francesca Allan at November 5, 2009 04:47 PM
Thank you, Evelyn. Mental Health Care is the biggest transfer of public wealth to private interests. I really wouldn't mind if we were getting results, but the fact is, I don't see people getting better on a broad basis. I see people getting worse and worse and worse... I guess eventually it will come to an end, when there are too many people on disability to pay for benefits anymore.
Posted by kimbriel at November 5, 2009 06:21 PM
Francesca, her e-mail is judy@questkids.net
Posted by Sara at November 5, 2009 10:27 PM
Thank you, Sara. I couldn't find it in the article.
Posted by Francesca Allan at November 6, 2009 05:55 PM