Raising children today: where every child has some psychological disorder

[Harpist4u]

Why does it seem that when I child is out of hand, or disorderly (which I guarantee every child is at one point and time in their life) they suddenly have a psychological disorder? Most of the children today are allowed to act this way because of "their problem." I am a teenager but I know the difference between a child who isn't disciplined and a child with a disability. Psychological disorders are just lame excuses for parents who don't know how or don't want to deal with their child accordingly. So they get a drug prescribed to them so they will "calm down" and "help fix the problem" instead of taking the time to teach their children what is acceptable and what is not. Plus our society in America is ALLOWING it to happen. So we will feel the effects of their upbringings in the next few years. We will see how the poor child still misbehaves when they are teenagers and in college up into their adulthood because people refuse to take the responsibility of raising their kid in the first place. If a child really can not help being that way because of a mental disability and not because of the parent's lack of discipline then it is one thing. Children no matter what should be taught what is acceptable and what is not because they won't learn it and remember it any other time. If parent's don't teach their children how to behave no one else will either.

[DoloresIbarruri]

Quote by: Harpist4u Why does it seem that when I child is out of hand, or disorderly (which I guarantee every child is at one point and time in their life) they suddenly have a psychological disorder? Most of the children today are allowed to act this way because of "their problem." I am a teenager but I know the difference between a child who isn't disciplined and a child with a disability. Psychological disorders are just lame excuses for parents who don't know how or don't want to deal with their child accordingly. So they get a drug prescribed to them so they will "calm down" and "help fix the problem" instead of taking the time to teach their children what is acceptable and what is not. Plus our society in America is ALLOWING it to happen. So we will feel the effects of their upbringings in the next few years. We will see how the poor child still misbehaves when they are teenagers and in college up into their adulthood because people refuse to take the responsibility of raising their kid in the first place. If a child really can not help being that way because of a mental disability and not because of the parent's lack of discipline then it is one thing. Children no matter what should be taught what is acceptable and what is not because they won't learn it and remember it any other time. If parent's don't teach their children how to behave no one else will either.

What an excellent topic. I agree with you that children are being prescribed too many behavior control medications. I recall when I was in school. Our behavior was not nearly as bad as the behavior of kids is today. I think the answer is two-fold:

#1 - I believe children today have very little contact with their parents and family members. It’s not just that moms work outside the home, either. It also has to do with the fact that working hours are longer than they’ve ever been, we have less vacation than ever, and less vacation than any other advanced nation, and that building sprawl and lack of public transportation has caused us to have to commute for hours. All this is time robbed from our children's needs.

In addition to this, jobs are more unstable than they’ve ever been, with lay-offs, mergers, bankruptcy, etc., and people have to change jobs with more frequency than ever before. This means people usually end up living very far away from grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, everyone in the family.

We’re like gypsies, except we don’t travel with our extended family and community. We’re loner gypsies. The sad thing is, our kids are suffering the effects of all these ills in our society.

#2 - Because parents are fundamentally good people, and they love their children dearly, they feel guilty over all these things mentioned in #1. As a result, they want, insist and demand in spoiling their children to make up for what they cannot provide for them (a lot of parental time, and all the love, education, enjoyment, outings, and mental stimulation that comes from that, plus extended family members, and security).

Part of the way parents today are spoiling their children to make up for their guilt, is by allowing their children to do anything they want. This can be anything from misbehaving in school, not studying, breaking things, to buying anything they want, talking back, etc. So, children are growing up lonely, with very little parental or familial supervision, not knowing their family members well, living with a diminished environment, and allowed to run wild and with very little discipline.

Then you have the parents on the other end of the spectrum: the ones that don't leave their children alone one second, because they're too busy sending them from one class to another, preparing them for adult success. Heaven forbid these kids should ever act like kids.

It's not an easy life being a child today. It's a lot harder and less fun than when I was a child. I wouldn't trade my own childhood for the childhood of any child living today.

[Mia]

Quote by: DoloresIbarruri Part of the way parents today are spoiling their children to make up for their guilt, is by allowing their children to do anything they want.

It's also laziness. It's easier to let kids have and do what they want than it is to properly guide and disclipline them.

[...Kate]

It's a marketing bonanza. There are lots of pharmaceuticals in the pipeline.

[rcne]

Good topic, I believe it is just more convenient to blame a labeled disorder and get a pill, than it is to actually take the time to raise the kids.

The drug companies love it - more money. The parents love it - its not my fault. The kids love it - they have an excuse for not doing anything.

But, soon enough life will catch up with them and they will be totally unprepared.

Oh wait they just 'discovered' AADD, the Adult version, now even adults can take a pill, and justify their inefficiency.

[...Kate]

I found this report, and its price tag, interesting.

Stakeholder Insight: ADHD - Prescriber Attention Still Held by Short Acting Stimulant Drugs Quantity in Basket: none Price: $15200.00 Report Format: PDF Date Published: 21-Sep-04 Despite the plethora of once-daily drugs available for the treatment of ADHD, physicians consistently prescribe immediate release formulations. To bolster revenues, manufacturers must continue to promote awareness of ADHD at all levels, but most also seek to further differentiate their once-daily products from generics and other branded products in the eyes of both the patient and the physician.

Central Nervous System, Market Research Report Catalog

[Cephus]

Quote by: rcne Good topic, I believe it is just more convenient to blame a labeled disorder and get a pill, than it is to actually take the time to raise the kids. The drug companies love it - more money. The parents love it - its not my fault. The kids love it - they have an excuse for not doing anything. But, soon enough life will catch up with them and they will be totally unprepared. Oh wait they just 'discovered' AADD, the Adult version, now even adults can take a pill, and justify their inefficiency.

That's exactly the case. Rather than just take the time to raise and discipline your child, pop a pill in their mouth, declare yourself not responsible and drop them in front of the TV.

Whatever did people do before all these wonderful drugs showed up? Oh yeah... they were PARENTS!

[DoloresIbarruri]

Quote by: rcne Good topic, I believe it is just more convenient to blame a labeled disorder and get a pill, than it is to actually take the time to raise the kids. The drug companies love it - more money. The parents love it - its not my fault. The kids love it - they have an excuse for not doing anything. But, soon enough life will catch up with them and they will be totally unprepared. Oh wait they just 'discovered' AADD, the Adult version, now even adults can take a pill, and justify their inefficiency.

No. Just like dyslexia is a real disorder of the brain, ADD is a real disorder, perhaps it's aggravated by stress, or caused by stress. Life today is more stressful than ever.

Let me give a definition of stress here before going any further:
Stress is a normal reaction to an abrnormal situation.

Usually abnormally stressful situations are short-lived. When an abnormally stressful situation doesn't end, what can one expect but neverending stress and the domino effect of emotional, mental and physical dysfunctions that come with it.

Then we have those people trying to lay blame on somebody, anybody! The parents, the kids, the schools, the teachers, anybody that can be blamed. Blame is essential. Without blaming somebody we might implode, who knows? However, nobody, and I do mean NOBODY, looks at the truly f*cked up life that is being lived today. Everyone is conveniently mum about that, for reasons unknown.

The life of kids today is stressful and unpleasant. As I said before, I wouldn't trade my childhood for the childhood of any kid living today in the U.S.

[PatrickHenry]

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publ...icle_605.shtml

The FDA's Drug Safety & Risk Management Advisory Committee held a two-day meeting last month on February 9 and 10 to review adverse events linked to the widely prescribed ADHD drugs that included reports of sudden death, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes among adults and children taking the medications. In the US, between 1999 through 2003, the FDA had reports of 24 deaths among patients who took the amphetamine, Adderall, the staff report said. Eleven more deaths were reported among patients using other drugs in the amphetamine class, it noted. During the same time frame, another 16 deaths were reported in patients who took Ritalin or other drugs known as methylphenidates, the report stated. Thirty additional deaths of methylphenidate patients were recorded but they were either non-US cases or occurred outside the review period, the FDA said. The agency also excluded cases that appeared linked to intoxication from multiple drugs or other causes. During the February hearings, the committee heard testimony by representatives from several advocacy groups, as well as medical professionals and other interested parties, basically advocating for or against the use of ADHD drugs in children. Sue Parry from New Mexico appeared and told the panel that she had traveled to the hearing at her own expense because she was concerned about the safety of the stimulant drugs given to children, some as young as 2 years old, she noted.

“Is the ADHD epidemic about neurotransmitters and chemical imbalances,” she asked the panel, “or is it about increased market share for drug companies?”

The establishment seems content to dose the kids with drugs rather than to help them with therapies that can provide long term coping skills. Even at the risk of their lives...

[Osborn F Enready]

On this topic:where every child has some psychological disorder

Go to this website:
http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/

Click on the Left Side Menu:
All the State's Children, and read to your hearts content.

Click on the Left Side Menu:
Making Little Monsters, and read to your hearts content.

This confusion was created.

[reppoc313]

I believe that disfunction breeds disfunction. If a disfunctional parent has a child and the relationship of the parents is one of crude or obscene actions, then the child learns those actionns and is quickly blamed for what they have only been taught. A child that sees the way their parents act is what they will think is how they are supposed to act. A child doesn't know any better unless they are taught right from wrong and the propper ways to act in public; But hey are not taught then how do they know trhat what they are doing is wrong? Sure, when the parents seem to be some what normal or good parents and the child is acting up, there no way to see what is going on in the home. I say that it can not only be blamed on the child because in 8 out of 10 cases it is the parents not doing their job or slacking when doing it. I think you have chosen an excellent topic because it is often over looked and needs to be recognized. It does seem that the cure is to drug them up with riddaline or other calming drugs ,but i think that the parents are also a source of the problem and should not be overlooked!

[whoracle]

is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that this drug filled world we live in today is a rather new addition to the human condition?

when exactly did it become the *in* thing to be damaged? i'm not discounting mental disorders - but what i am saying is that drug companies have made them all but glamorous. go and speak to 15 college students and come back with the percentage of them not on some sort of mood altering drug.

i have a problem with the assumption that our daily lives are so much more complicated than they were 60 years ago. if anything, people struggled more, because back then, a one income household was culturally essential. now both parents work and pawn their children off on strangers. while i will agree that the newer environment may affect children differently, i refuse to believe it's the cause of a zillion brand new disorders.

puberty sucks. the end. parenting is hard. the end. there is no magic pill that will make everything all better, but the more the population searches for it, the more big drug companies will oblidge. are we really progressing toward anything positive though?

[Kite]

Quote by: Rive I think alot of these "disorders" can be classified easily. it used to be called puberty

its also called 'your kid is acting like an idiot'
now its called ADD

My parents always behaved, because if they didnt, theyd get beaten with a wooden spoon. BRING BACK THE SPOON!!!

[jose]

Quote by: angelaaguirre Hi I have a child who is ADHD he is nine years old. I am a stay at home mom. My son does chrous and everthing else you and I did when I were children. My son really does does have a problem. Do you really think that I do not disapline my son you better believe I do, and I do not play, and I am not lazy.I also am a full time student at night. His father takes care of him while I am at school. He helps him with his homework and everything. I hate having my son on medication. Right now it is the only thing that helps him consontrate at school. My son has even told me himself that sometimes he knows that he is doing somthing wrong, but that he can not control himself. If there is something better than taking all these meds let me know. I really need help.

Rather than give your kids Amphetamine based drugs like ritalin or adderall why not give them a cup of coffee or coca-cola?

[jose]

Quote by: whoracle is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that this drug filled world we live in today is a rather new addition to the human condition?

The world you talk about is really just America.

ADD symptoms listed include the following:

1/ Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork. . . .
2/ Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.
3/ Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
4/ Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.
5/ Often has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly.
6/ Often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
7/ Often has difficulty awaiting turn.

The average parent would consider such symptoms as typical of a developing juvenile, not necessarily those of some one suffering from a psychiatric disorder. The recommended treatment to alleviate such symptoms is good teaching and firm discipline, not mind altering drugs like Ritalin or Adderall XR.
link

[Compugasm]

You forgot one:

8/ Breathing

[SteveA]

I agree people tend to abuse the term "psychological disorder" nowdays, especially when it comes to medicating children. It's easy to just say some kid has physical problems and have them pop a pill to "fix things" but simply because some kid doesn't have a large attention span, or a tougher time learning doesn't necessarily mean chemicals are going to help. One of my best friends from High School was given Riddlin (sp?) and I believe his death at 35, after living with his mother all his life was at least partly due to the dependence on medication he acquired over time. Some of my relatives used Prozac and claimed it was great but there were side effects they weren't acknowledging.

I think nature has a purpose for emotions like boredom, anxiety and depression and they're simply nudges to get people off they're parents couch (or whatever general circumstances create these emotions) and doing something else for a change. We tend to expect a very common framework for personalities that some children just can't fit into. Instead of medicating children, I agree with Kite somewhat that occassional timely application of a good spanking can fix things. :) (No, you can't abuse this or children just become resigned to an inevitable punishment, but when applied sparingly at the right times, spanking can do just fine and avoid a lot of psychological problems later )

[Cephus]

Quote by: SteveA I agree people tend to abuse the term "psychological disorder" nowdays, especially when it comes to medicating children.

It isn't just for medicating children, they also abuse "disease" so that no one has to think they're responsible for their actions. It's not your fault! It's a disease! Don't feel bad, you can't do anything about a disease.

Yet more of the pussification of America.

[swtypie918]

I really agree with you. I think parents don't dedicate the time necessary to raise their children and they only want the easy way out. I understand that when a child has a disorder it should be taken seriously such as depression but even those children should get a lot of attention from their parents. Schools are worst now a days than they were before. When I was in elementary, I didn't know half of the things children know in these times. I can't beleive that children don't get to enjoy their age and innocence because they learn about sex, bad behavior from their peers, not their parents. There is a big lack of responsibility from parents.

[SoccerfreakAB2]

Quote by: DoloresIbarruri What an excellent topic. I agree with you that children are being prescribed too many behavior control medications. I recall when I was in school. Our behavior was not nearly as bad as the behavior of kids is today. I think the answer is two-fold: #1 - I believe children today have very little contact with their parents and family members. It’s not just that moms work outside the home, either. It also has to do with the fact that working hours are longer than they’ve ever been, we have less vacation than ever, and less vacation than any other advanced nation, and that building sprawl and lack of public transportation has caused us to have to commute for hours. All this is time robbed from our children's needs. In addition to this, jobs are more unstable than they’ve ever been, with lay-offs, mergers, bankruptcy, etc., and people have to change jobs with more frequency than ever before. This means people usually end up living very far away from grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, everyone in the family. We’re like gypsies, except we don’t travel with our extended family and community. We’re loner gypsies. The sad thing is, our kids are suffering the effects of all these ills in our society. #2 - Because parents are fundamentally good people, and they love their children dearly, they feel guilty over all these things mentioned in #1. As a result, they want, insist and demand in spoiling their children to make up for what they cannot provide for them (a lot of parental time, and all the love, education, enjoyment, outings, and mental stimulation that comes from that, plus extended family members, and security). Part of the way parents today are spoiling their children to make up for their guilt, is by allowing their children to do anything they want. This can be anything from misbehaving in school, not studying, breaking things, to buying anything they want, talking back, etc. So, children are growing up lonely, with very little parental or familial supervision, not knowing their family members well, living with a diminished environment, and allowed to run wild and with very little discipline. Then you have the parents on the other end of the spectrum: the ones that don't leave their children alone one second, because they're too busy sending them from one class to another, preparing them for adult success. Heaven forbid these kids should ever act like kids. It's not an easy life being a child today. It's a lot harder and less fun than when I was a child. I wouldn't trade my own childhood for the childhood of any child living today.

Excellent and objective analysis of today's children and teenagers. As a highschooler myself, I couldn't agree more on the retracting parent involvement in their child's lives, as well as the consequent spoiling and appeasing of their childrens' wants, not needs. In high school, I know so many kids who are on adderall and ritalin to suppress what they feel is hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, and lack of remembering. Simple analysis, such as yours, will discover that these consequences are brought on mostly by what's at home, hence the wandering mind, continuing parental curiosity and insubordination, and the larger need to use drugs to sterlize emotion.