Kids and psych meds?

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Before you judge you should now the whole factors.
Yes, some parents over medicate their child, because they do not know how to advocate for their child.Some because they don't know how to cope with children with a condition.

I myself have a Bi-polar Child and when he was diagnosed it was very apparent. When a young child is diagnosed with Bi-Polar it is reversible with proper learning. My son was in first grade when diagnosed, but with the help of great therapists my son has been able to rationalize without meds for three years. This has happened for I did my own research. My son did not like meds he always spoke about how he felt on them and I always brought that to his psychiatrist.
Today my son has recently just ended another therapist and her comment continues to be "I don't understand, he is so apparent with his Bi-Polar yet no meds"
I tend to believe because of such early detection and help of certain meds we have learned to cope with his condition. To advocate on his behalf is a daily struggle with school especially for they want him drugged. He, my son, knows some days he needs to step back and take a breather.
EDUCATE yourself on psychiatric care. It is a life altering condition for al involved. Start with a book called "THE BI-POLAR CHILD" before you go fighting against this learn more. Would you go against research that maybe over medicating children with any other conditions? Medical field has numerous causes that have over medicated, it is all trial and error in this field of medicine.
In this society psychiatric conditions are the most frowned upon. It has some of the least researched. It is just coming out more now, and seems to me more people are coming out admitting to it....Show more

If you can't find one then START ONE! "Mothers Against
Doping our kids" Do you realize what the bottom line is here?.
These kids are being used as guinea pigs for the pharma-
giants as test subjects. I doubt anyone can tell that a 4 yr old
child is bipolar. Every time a child goes into the hospital,
mom never knows exactly what's given to that kid. Never, Ever give your child any medication without fully researching it first, and I don't mean reading the drug leaflet. Go to http://www.publiccitizen.com and look it up, or get the small book "The Pill Book" which is very honest about what the drug is used for...what dosages should be given....and what side effects may happen. This book is sold in the Pharmacy. Also,when receiving ANY med. from a Pharmacy--demand to
see the "Product Insert". It is written especially in small
print and hard language, but at least you will know if it has
a black box around it (which means it has caused deaths)
or a WARNING: Which means severe reactions have occurred with the product. Big Pharma has total reign now
and is backed by the FDA, so its up to you to investigate
what you use and give to your kids....Show more

that is so said that makes no sense are kids aren't crazy and they are to young to have such a tragic diagnosis. I don't believe in medicating children, the are too young and the medicine is not designed for there bodies.

I was a medicated child because I only slept 3 hrs at not and I was ADHD and they labeled my bi-polar. And Later the found that everything was the result from being raped and molested form 2 till 17, as a result I have 5 kid and now about to have baby number 6....Show more

I have to disagree with you. I was like you in the beginning. I was horrified at the use of prescription drugs in children because I had heard so many horror stories about them. Mostly that it made them like a zombie and thats how they would end up behaving. But its just not true in my son's case. He is not super hyper or anything like that. The teacher and counselor spoke to me about him always being in his own little world in class and having a hard time concentrating on the task at hand. Hes in 2nd grade, by the way. Anyway, he was also like that during homework at night, unable to concentrate. I took him to two different doctors with the same diagnosis. He is now taking 10mg of Adderol. Half a pill, so not a very high dosage. His grades have improved 100% because he is able to concentrate and at home he does his homework with no problems at all. And, no he is not like a zombie and it has not changed his personality whatsoever. He is still a normal smartypants pain in the butt 8 year old. But the difference is, he is no longer struggling to keep up with the other kids his age in school. So, yes, sometimes the prescription ADD and ADHD drugs are abused by so many parents. But there are the cases like mine, where the proper use of medication helped my son very much. Sorry, if you don't like my answer, but I wanted to give you a different yet enlightening point of view. Take care and good luck!...Show more

I can only half agree with you. Sometimes kids are medicated for problems that truly aren't problems, and sometimes they are medicated for the right reasons.

Example: I went to school with a kid who was diagnosed as ADD, even though he was just a happy kid. The ritalin made him severely depressed and he ended up a very unhappy grade 9 student. When he finally was able to fake taking the drugs in grade 9 (near the middle) he becaue 100 times more productive, happy, etc.

BUT I have a cousin who is severely ADHD. He has been on medications since he was in grade 3, and is now in grade 10. He has tried to go off them (as his parents allowed him to make the choice after he was on it for a year) and he hates it. He says every little thing distracts him, he can feel himself overreacting to everything, etc. The medicine truly does help him....Show more