WTF?

[conuly]

Spending Soars for Children's Behavioural Meds

They're now giving behavioural medication for children under five? Ritalin? For AD(H)D for children under five years of age? What is WRONG with people? At five years old, do you really know if the child isn't just being a little absentminded and hyper? You know, like five year olds are supposed to be? If they're prescribing medication that early, can we really trust people to actually try teaching these kids how to behave and control themselves? More importantly, do we really know what these medications do to young children when they take them for several years?

Of course, I don't really know enough about this to talk. So I'll hush now.

Comments

[conuly]

I'm not completely against medication. I can see how they're useful for more than just the parents in some cases, and obviously for physical problems like asthma* they can save lives. But for neurological differences in children I think that the more caution, the better. Prescribing drugs for toddlers is NOT being cautious. Neither is prescribing drugs as anything other than a LAST resort with a LOT of help so that they can eventually get off the drugs.

*_{Though doing things to reduce the likelihood of an asthma attack is better than all the drugs in the world. This means finding out whatever you're allergic too, even foods, and avoiding it. Usually. As an adult, you can choose which is the better path for you, as a kid you're probably better off with less medication in your system anyway, so....}

I'd be a big fat hypocrite if I were against all meds!

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

Oh, I didn't mean *all* meds in my reply. I'd be a big hypocrite if I did... I require about 12 pills/day just for my organs to function, not including my asthma meds or whatever pain relief I need in addition to that. *snicker* What I'm against is the practice of using drugs to "cure" behavior that isn't actually damaging but is just not "normal."

Re: I'd be a big fat hypocrite if I were against all meds!

[conuly]

What I'm against is the practice of using drugs to "cure" behavior that isn't actually damaging but is just not "normal."

That is something I think I couldn't disagree with if I were paid and brainwashed. Got that from my parents, and I couldn't be happier for it, really (even if it means I *did* lose a few inches because of that early puberty thing). Especially when it comes to children. We have no idea what the long term effects of those drugs are! And even if we did, just pumping the kids full of medication is crippling them far more than any "disorder" ever could.