posted 04-25-2007 01:44 PM            

yea, but then why are they (generic they) not against medication for diabetes, heart condition, migraine headaches, etc. ?
sometimes depression isnt really true depression in the sense of being medically caused,...like you said you went thru a difficult phase when you needed to take care or get rid of in some cases bad relationships, and do some steps to be happier. A doctor has to determine if symptoms are just temporary, and based on poor life circumstances, and in that case it's more likely that instead of medicine, the person needs to start making some real changes in theri life and how they do things, and maybe cut off unhealthy relationships, etc (or limit them)
but true medical depression just like diabetes or other medical conditions usually requires medication to help the brain chemistry. I thought it's really interesting that bipolar, or manic depression is closely related to seizures. Mostof the medicines they treat it with are --- anti seizure drugs. No one can tell me that is an 'emotional' problem, anymore than epilepsy is an 'emotional' or social problem.

posted 04-27-2007 04:22 PM            

I would like to jump in and play armchair doctor for a sec. As a parent you need to do your own homework/research on all the meds the doctor’s (professionals) put her on. I have two kids with brain disorders ranging from mild retardation, autistic spectrum, seizure disorder, ODD, ADHD, severe behavior problems as well as learning disabilities. Both my kids were placed on very heavy duties drugs that required them to get blood test regularly. I had professionals tell me that it was likely that my kids would have to depend on meds for the rest of there lives.

I had a choice to accept what they were saying or allow my mother’s intuition to kick in. I got on line did all kinds of research, talked with several professionals on all levels and bought books and after thoroughly conducting my own research I made some changes.

I hired behavior specialist (which the school district pays for) to work with both my kids to teach them to learn how to control there behavioral and to better express themselves when they are angry. The behavioral specialist have giving them alternative outlets to express there frustration, anger, anxiety, you name it. What we did is give them the tools and teach them how to use them to control there erratic behaviors. They also helped them to better understand there illness. Understanding there illness will help boost there self esteem and teach them to better deal with it and explain to others. My daughter has went from crying because other kids make fun of her because she can’t read or has a facial tick to having the courage to tell them that she has a learning disability and that she has a facial tic she can’t control and it makes her feel embarrass; now those same kids no longer make fun of her and respect the fact that she spoke up. This ultimately resulted in her having less facial tics because stress is what increases the tics.

Both my kids have been seizure free for over 6 years.
There behavioral have improved dramatically
Since being off the meds they have improved in there academics with the help of tutors who specialize in kids with special needs.
My kids went from always being angry to happy kids.
I can now take them out to dinner, family functions, and people are willing to baby sit.

I see meds as Band-Aids, they don’t fix the problem they mask it. After giving my kids these tools I slowly started to wean them from there meds under a doctors supervision. Low and behold both my kids went from taking 10 to 12 pills a day to none.

My kids were on the following med:

Risperdal
Depakote
Lamictal
Adderall
Adderall XR

A lot of these seizure and antipsychotic meds cause behavioral problems which the professional won’t tell you about.

Sandra you talk as if your daughter is broken and can’t be fixed and that others should take pity on her condition and better understand when you yourself haven’t taken the time to better understand.

Don’t get me wrong there are some instances were an illness has gone too far that they are dependant on meds and that they have been on them for so long they can’t function without them. But for me I will exhaust all options before I take a doctors word as final. You don’t need a PhD to know when something is not working. Listen to your kids who can better tell you how certain meds make them feel.

Good luck with your daughter, remember you are her best advocate.

posted 04-27-2007 04:55 PM            

I think a little of all of it is right and wrong and everything. I think emotional vulnerablity, of any capacity, is not well-accepted. People don't understand the complexities of the mind and get really nervous when things don't fit into whatever they perceive as normal. It's not just some Christians, it's not just some educators, it's not just some relatives and friends. It's everywhere.

I think, at a very primal level, it is somewhat the "surivival of the fittest" instinct that kicks in. I'm not saying it's right, or how things should be, I just think people react in primal ways and don't shift into any kind of thinking gear to take it out of the box.

I think our society is crazed with pharmaceuticals, thanks to advertising them on television becoming legal in... what was it?... 1993? We are a pill-oriented society that contradicts itself when it comes to emotional illnesses. I don't think meds are a band-aid all the time; I think there are some illnesses that need treatment. Have any of you ever seen someone who has lost touch with reality? I have. THAT person needs meds. I think true clinical depression needs treatment. I think bipolar needs treatment. I think strep throat needs treatment. I think high blood pressure needs treatment. I think trying to medicate every child who can't sit still is crazy. Matters of the mind are not so easy to understand, so many people continue to act like it's the Salem Witch Trials.

posted 04-27-2007 05:32 PM            

I have a brother who cannot be without meds he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and is not allow to be a part of society if he does not take his meds. So yes for him he has no choice but to depend on meds.

What is important is for people to know all there options. There are so many other alternatives and it kills me how they are putting so many kids on med and parents not questioning them because they are the “professionals” and they know what they are doing. I have yet to hear a doctor say rather than me prescribing this ADHD medication for your child lets look into having him/her see a behavior specialist? Or instead of put your child on this antipsychotic med let’s have them see a psychologist first. I was fortunate enough to have some good doctor who were willing to suggest other options when I enquired knowing that it would mean us not needing there services anymore.

We have commercials after commercials trying to sell you so many pills for so many different things that it’s sickening.

I just wanted Sandra and others to know that they have alternatives and that certain illnesses can be treated without med or at least not as many of them. For me it got to one point that the doctor’s were piggy backing the kids med, because one pill that would cure one thing was causing another, so they would prescribe a pill that would cure that only to have that pill cause another problem and the vicious cycle begin. God only know what 12 pills is doing to that little body?