Comments: Atypicals For Kids: Here Comes The Evidence
Applying the (adult) concept of psychotic, manic, and hypomanic to children is ridiculous.
http://www.szasz.com/cchr.html
"Adults have physical and political power over children. This is why sexual relations between adults and children are outlawed and the act is called "statutory rape." For the same reason, we ought to outlaw psychiatric relations between adults and children and call child psychiatry by its correct name, "psychiatric rape."
Child psychiatry -- like all of psychiatric slavery -- cannot be reformed. It must be abolished. "
Posted by Mark at January 24, 2007 01:42 AM
Got to love the neologisms. Find a drug for the kid, make up a diagnosis second.
If Lilly's PRIME trials with Zyprexa were any indication, all these trials will be a complete failure.
The bigger bioeethical question in my mind is why are the Big Pharma groups so encouraged to stop bipolar "before it starts"?
Posted by zipzip at January 24, 2007 06:25 AM
Dawdy, you're absolutely ON FIRE with this post. You covered the increasing diagnosis of bipolar in kids concisely yet thoughtfully. Additionally, Zyprexa approval in kids. That ought to be, as you said, interesting. And thanks for "fifth of whiskey head" -- that was grand. Bipolar spectrum?? What's next?
Posted by CL Psy at January 24, 2007 06:45 AM
You can have my copy of the bp child book.
What I got out of it: the word to get my kid off of antidepressants.(so I did, in 2001.)
Wish it would have said ALL meds.
Posted by Stephany at January 24, 2007 08:21 AM
Just one more comment:
Speaking of Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation--this site,(bpkids.org) along with it's message boards for parents, and at one point working alongside Dr. Demitri Papolos; promoted Early Onset Bipolar Disorder so much, that for parents, this dynamic duo of sorts became to Childhood Bipolar--what Fuller Torrey had become to Schizophrenia information.
The "leading experts" are not always the best.
Posted by Stephany at January 24, 2007 10:36 AM
I have serious issues with medicating kids with any psychiatric medications. I know there are some kids with ADD/ADHD, but many kids are medicated just because they act like kids.
If my child begins to act BP, unless there is a psychotic episode, I will try all of the lifestyle, living well type things first. Medicating kids (or a lot of us) should be a last resort.
Posted by kp at January 24, 2007 12:10 PM
kp define psychotic, you can't.
I can give you reasons why people act psychotic, but it isn't a disease you catch.
The invention of ADD/ADHD correspond directly with parents inability, unwillingness, or unlawfulness to physically discipline bad behaviour.
Posted by Mark at January 24, 2007 07:27 PM
Wow. Good points.
The scary thing is that it'll get FDA approval.
Posted by Marissa Miller at January 25, 2007 08:47 AM
The scary thing is; it's been used in kids.
When my daughter was 11 yrs.old, a professional suggested Seroquel for her anxiety.(1999).
This while she was already on Depakote,Zyprexa and Zoloft. Instead the doc added BuSpar, which gave her no relief from anxiety and it did give her suicidal ideations, and was removed after 2 weeks.
The anxiety ended, when homework was reduced in school, thus ending the reason (behavior assessment)for the anxiety.
Let the kids be kids.
Posted by Stephany at January 25, 2007 10:36 AM
One more thing to ponder on. I read that psychiatric drugs stop the female reproducive cycle. As I male, I can say I remember it zeroing out libito, but it returns after stopping the drugs. BUT the big kicker/thing here is that if psych drug are taken during adolescence it makes women infertile. No one talks of infertility and the eugenic effects when drugging children.
Feel free to mention this to someone who believes in drugging children.
Posted by Mark at January 25, 2007 10:43 AM
Depakote. Warnings (blackbox I believe). For safe monitoring in women under age 20 yrs. old.
Thanks for bringing the topic up, Mark.
The 6 year run my daughter had on Depakote from age 11-17.5 yrs old, has left her on permanent hormone therapy and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, confirmed by experts.
At age 19 she most likely now can never have children.
http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/pcosinfo.html
Attention women of all ages taking Depakote, especially young girls, teens, under age 20.
As did most of the other meds my daughter was placed on, the blackbox warnings came out too late for her.
It is not too late for other children and teens.
Leave medication for last resort in growing children.
Posted by Stephany at January 25, 2007 05:27 PM
re:Depakote and Infertile--also cancer risk now in place.
Forgot to add to the Depakote induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome--- also leaves a woman with a high risk of endometrial cancer. To reduce this risk, the expert that reviewed my daughter's case said she will have to induce menstruation (with medication)throughout her lifetime, as a preventative. The fallout from growing up on psych meds is more than most people understand.
Just another reason why these meds need careful monitoring.
Posted by Stephany at January 26, 2007 08:30 AM