The Medicated Child

[46zilzal]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/medicatedchild/

Frontline reviewed a very dangerous new area of medical treatment last night. Many of the biggest proponents of this therapy are, YES YOU GUESSED IT, on the payrolls of the companies that make the drugs.

Anyone with a child, grandchild, niece or nephew who might fall into the growing net of those misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder, you really owe it to yourself to watch this program on line.

A quote from one of the doctors involved:"Virtually nothing is known about their long-term impact. "It's really to some extent an experiment, trying medications in these children of this age," child psychiatrist Dr. Patrick Bacon tells FRONTLINE. "It's a gamble. And I tell parents there's no way to know what's going to work."

Based upon a very few re-hashed studies of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, many of these children (guinea pigs really since NO studies were ever done with all of these pharmaceutical cocktails in their growing systems) are now being loaded up with very potent anti-psychotics.

There are currently NO studies on pediatric cases. These drugs are popular without proof and have substantial long term side effects in adults, let alone the totally unknown responses in the growing and maturing personalities of young people.

If you have children or grandchildren who might get pigeon-holed with this diagnosis (often prompted by teachers who have NO medical experience), you should be very aware of this growing trend.

[delayjf]

Based upon a very few re-hashed studies of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder,
Psychiatrists are the ones prescribing the drugs, this is why I have no respect for that medical profession – all they do is prescribe drugs.

[46zilzal]

Psychiatrists are the ones prescribing the drugs, this is why I have no respect for that medical profession – all they do is prescribe drugs.
Blanketing an entire profession based upon a few. NOW, where have I heard that assessment before?

[ddog]

This is better late than never,but the messages they are sending are about 15 years TOO late.

Anyone with common sense would have had a wonder(as many did) how we survived and actually seemed to produce some fairly healthy kids 100 years ago before all the "wonder drugs" came along.

It's along the same line as many(most) who at the first sign of cough or fever run to the doc demanding antibotics. B.S.


As with much in this area the hype is all about the money baby.
You think race handicapping is a hard to forecast area!

[46zilzal]

Antibiotics are nothing compared to these.
NOTHING...

Over-prescribing antibiotics was alive and well in the mid 70's when I was in school.

[ddog]

Blanketing an entire profession based upon a few. NOW, where have I heard that assessment before?


The whole medical or should i say "drug pusher" profession is in need of a dire overhaul.
There is more go along to get along thinking in that than almost anywhere I have ever seen or been exposed to.

[ddog]

Antibiotics are nothing compared to these.
NOTHING...

we will see when they become useless due to overuse how NOTHING they are.

[46zilzal]

They do in fact need to re-evaluate many practices. I have yelled about it for years to be received by deaf ears.

The majority of the up to date info I received on meds came from journals and concerned pharmacists.

[46zilzal]

we will see when they become useless due to overuse how NOTHING they are.
They are not used logically. When you THINK there is an infection, you have to culture it, start a med that has presumptive evidence to work by clinical picture, but can only write for the specific med when the culture and sensitivity report return.

Most never do that.

[Tom]

Blanketing an entire profession based upon a few. NOW, where have I heard that assessment before?

Uh, isn't that just what you did in your opening post?

[46zilzal]

Uh, isn't that just what you did in your opening post?
No it was a warning IF anyone came up against this growing, NOT all inclusive problem.

[Grits]

Anyone with common sense would have had a wonder(as many did) how we survived and actually seemed to produce some fairly healthy kids 100 years ago before all the "wonder drugs" came along.

Dog, I don't know that I'd even go as far back as 100 years ago. Children born, as recently, as 30 to 50 years ago--we are those children.

I can't imagine children then, certainly not myself or my two brothers, being medicated with drugs such as the wide array that are being given to children today.

Children are entering public school much earlier than we did. Pre-kindergarten programs are absolutes today--for every child. By the time the child is in 1st to 2nd grade that child has been observed a great deal, and by that observation, following an evaluation, has been "labeled" and defined as "high risk" and placed in classes that are designed to help them.

The teacher of these particular students has her job cut out for her. And her day can be a nightmare of a task. Every child in her classroom is on meds. The oldest drug of choice by doctors and their parents, given so early in life to small children, among today's parents is Ritilin. There's a host of newer ones, still, Ritilin was the gold standard for years. And some have developed heart problems as a result of years on Ritilin.

Severe learning disabilities can come with children who are diagnosed as BEH (Behavioral-Emotionally-Handicapped) children and with other children who struggle with ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder) problems.

Add to these students, those that are being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This one is a REAL BIGGIE as Autism is appearing now in 1 in 150 live births--and the range of ability/disability of these children is vast. Some can function well, others cannot function well at all and will need constant care and supervision.

Autism is moving at an epidemic rate, and our public schools will not be able to keep up--we will not be able to educate these children, children who, by law are guaranteed a public education. We do not have enough special education teachers or, for that matter, specialized schools.

Reading the material on the PBS piece that Zilly posted is, indeed, worthwhile to young parents. More and more, we are seeing greater developmental problems in infants and children.

One has to wonder if there is correlation, somehow, to that which exists in our food, our water, our environment, chemicals, etc. Something is causing the increase in children born with developmental delays.

As far as early onset emotional problems, in regard to labeling a child at the age of four, as bipolar, aka the new manic depressive and, subsequently, medicating them--I wonder about those children as well.

I hope that a problem such as that seen as Bipolar with preschool children is not a result of poor parenting. That is a possibility though; that, along with Big Pharma--the two would be a potent combination in a doctor's office.

[RaceBookJoe]

Antibiotics are nothing compared to these.
NOTHING...

Over-prescribing antibiotics was alive and well in the mid 70's when I was in school.

First I want to thank you for the article, but I am not surprised. I think this and antibiotics are the tip of the iceberg. You seem to know much in the medical field, what are your thoughts on (1) the connection between certain vacines and the rise in autism, and (2) the connection between chemical food additives and diabetes/other maladies etc... and when I say connection, i mean it as is reported as a "theory" as opposed to "scientific fact". Thanks for any reply you might give. RBJ

[46zilzal]

The connection to autism is still very much a debate (might even be due to the Thimerosol preservatives in them or the very early age they are given now compared with years gone by, but until the root mechanism of autism is known, any correlation is simply a best guess, some believe it to be an inborn error in metabolism) but chemical food additives are a long term poison.

Just read Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. I would not have even known about all of the "natural flavors" (artificial chemicals that have the essence of smokey flavor, banana. fruity tastes, steak flavoring and hundreds of others) except for the fact that my sister in law reacts with violent headaches to the majority of them. They are completely unregulated and out of control. Their chemical makeup is not even listed on the ingredients as they are closely guarded proprietary secrets know only to a few large labs.

Many of the foods today and not even made from the source of the flavor of the equivalent REAL FOOD and is often ALL chemical on another substrate. It is appalling.

For the last several years, all this junk food has disappeared from my meals and guess what? Free Fatty acids are down, Cholesterol down, B.P. down. Exercise helps too but whoever formulated the expression "You are what you eat" knew a thing or two.

[RaceBookJoe]

Thanks for your reply, i am on the same belief and have changed my diet. Actually not worried about any medical problems anymore, might be naive but that is my mindset. Never read FFN but saw the movie. I have done a lot of reading on food additives etc, some scary stuff out there. Not sure if you know the aspertame story, but interesting who was behind it getting approved ( if the story i read is true). If I can find a link i will try to get it to you. RBJ

[jognlope]

There are 100s of diagnoses for children, which are cash tickets for the psychiatric professionals. This is an ugly profession.

[46zilzal]

At the last several seminars I attended, each presenter has to now tell the audience who's payroll they are on, and it makes a difference to the content.

[Tom]

Much of the blame lies with the incompetant liberal school systems that have no clue how to teach children so they medicate them. And each one is the victim of yet another doctor.

[46zilzal]

Here are links to the varied etiologies proposed for autism:
http://members.jorsm.com/~binstock/index.htm
http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/autism/envirofactor.htm
http://www.whale.to/vaccines/autism.8.html
http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/newsletter/autismincrease.htm

[Grits]

I have no idea why this has bolded, anyway, for the poster that asked earlier, a report released January 9,2008-- yesterday.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Researchers have identified a genetic defect responsible for 1 percent of the various forms of autism, and other experts said the DNA region involved could cause many more autism cases.

Identifying the genetic defect also offers another way to screen early for the disease, and perhaps to help children with treatments that can reduce some effects of the developmental disorder, researchers said.

A test for such genetic defects already is helping to inform parents with a child who has just been diagnosed with autism whether siblings might be at risk and whether future children might develop some form of autism, said Dr. Mark Daly of Massachusetts General Hospital, who led the study released on Wednesday.

EDIT to add: The complete article is at Reuters website.