"Preschoolers comprise the fastest growing psychiatric-drug-using demographic in the U.S."

reply to post by Lemon.Fresh


Of course, inflicting physicial pain always helps.

[edit on 3-9-2009 by aero56]

[edit on 3-9-2009 by aero56]

How can we expect a nation of spoiled children to raise children? It's tough finding responsible, functioning adults these days.

It is not just the U.S. but in Europe as well with Ritalin. Hey, gotta [bleep] them up while they are young, right?

Mental illness runs in my family and I'll let everyone know I have been depressed for as long as I can remember. Most likely from the age of 5 and onward.

I knew I was sad at that age I just didnt know what to call it. Now that I am an adult I can honestly say I have been depressed most of my life and it is a combination of chemicals in my brain and horrible child abuse by my classmates from the age of 6 to 15.

Originally posted by aero56
reply to post by Lemon.Fresh

 

Of course, inflicting physicial pain always helps.

You stick your finger in a socket, you get physical pain. It teaches you not to do it again.

You put your hand on a hot iron or on the stove, you get physical pain. It teaches you not to do it again.

You stick your hand through a fence to touch a dog, and it bites you . . . you got it! It gives you physical pain, and teaches you not to do it again.

You get your butt whooped, you get physical pain. It teaches you not to do it again.

Simple concept, really.



[edit on 9/3/2009 by Lemon.Fresh]

Originally posted by Tentickles
Mental illness runs in my family and I'll let everyone know I have been depressed for as long as I can remember. Most likely from the age of 5 and onward.

I knew I was sad at that age I just didnt know what to call it. Now that I am an adult I can honestly say I have been depressed most of my life and it is a combination of chemicals in my brain and horrible child abuse by my classmates from the age of 6 to 15.

Of course SOME children have issues (I do not mean that in an offensive way, BTW). But most only need some good parenting.

Originally posted by Lemon.Fresh
Sorry. I do not buy into this crap.

Let kids be kids.

There is no need for them to be on pills.

If they are causing problems, whoop their butts.

Spare the rod, spoil the child.

50% of the perceived problems could be alleviated by letting kids be kids.

40% of the perceived problems could be alleviated by spanking the kids.

10% of the kids actually have issues.

Very well said!! I cannot fathom putting my children on any of these drugs. Kids need to be kids as has been stated already. Normal children are running 100 miles an hour, it's normal for them to have short attention spans, be somewhat impulsive, and, to be into everything. It's up to the parents to provide the struture and parameters for thei behavior; including the discipline. There's a difference between spanking and beating.

I suspect a widening development of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy - fuelled and encouraged by the pharmaceutical industry and those who benefit from its trade.

How exactly do you tell if a small child is depressed?

Oh I know the experts say they know how to spot one.

Seriously every small child I know is mental, oh and the teens, that's even worse, however I always thought this was normal.

What do they want robots?

Humans are strange.

[edit on 063030p://bThursday2009 by Stormdancer777]

If you disagree with doing it the governments way and not dope you kids up, its medical neglect.
If you believe in teaching your child right from wrong its abuse.
If you believe in making them learn responsibility its abuse.
If you focus more on 1 on 1 time with your child than keeping a sterile home, its neglect.
If you let kids play in the rain and enjoy a few simple pleasures its neglect.
Parents are afraid to be parents. Thanks to a wonderful system called CPS that is purely concerned with profit and not the safety of children who are actually being abused.
Take the kids, and dope 'em up for profit~ CPS's motto.

There has been a steady rise in the recorded incidence of childhood mental illness; most notably Autism, ADD and Bipolar. The question is, are these disorders simply being diagnosed more than they were in the past 50 years and the actual incidence is the same? Or, are more children actually developing mental illness?

There's really no way to know for things like ADD and depression, there's no litmus test for depression. One thing is for sure, the incidence of Tardive Dyskenesia is going to skyrocket is we keep giving kids speed and atypical anti-psychotics for their whole lives who may not really need it.

Originally posted by calstorm
If you disagree with doing it the governments way and not dope you kids up, its medical neglect.

Can you provide a source?

[edit on 3-9-2009 by Funshinez]

reply to post by Funshinez


I'm sure some ATSer will turn up a link to an instance of parental rights being usurped. There have been other medical cases, such as cancer, where States have stepped in and forced chemotherapy even when the child did not want it. Many schools also pressure parents to use Ritalin, etc.

Anyway, here's another surprising study that claims that as many as 15% (!) of young children may suffer from depression:

www.redorbit.com...

Almost 15 percent of preschoolers have atypically high levels of depression and anxiety, according to a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The five-year investigation also found that children with atypically high depression and anxiety levels are more likely to have mothers with a history of depression.

The study was conducted in Canada by an international team of researchers from the Université de Montréal, the Université Laval and McGill University, as well as Inserm (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale) in France, Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S. and University College Dublin in Ireland.

"As early as the first year of life, there are indications that some children have more risks than others to develop high levels of depression and anxiety," says first author Sylvana M. Côté, a professor at the Université de Montréal's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine. "Difficult temperament at five months was the most important predictor of depression and anxiety in the children."

If that number is even true by half, then surely environmental conditions must play a role.

Originally posted by Tentickles
Mental illness runs in my family and I'll let everyone know I have been depressed for as long as I can remember. Most likely from the age of 5 and onward.

I knew I was sad at that age I just didnt know what to call it. Now that I am an adult I can honestly say I have been depressed most of my life and it is a combination of chemicals in my brain and horrible child abuse by my classmates from the age of 6 to 15.

Sorry about your family. I too suffer from depression, clinically major depression. When I finally broke down (stubborn horse I am) and went to the therapist, I thought "This is it? This is the insight that I was missing?" I say this because it was ALREADY obvious to me, but I just ignored it. I felt great feeling terrible. I was happy in the chains of depression. I was conditioned. I noticed it in my food choices - all bad, the music I listen to - all depressing and sad, and the way I looked at the world - the most pessimistic way possible. The therapist prescribed Zoloft and I took one and had a placebo effect. I took the pill and thought hey, this is working, but no. My life changed because I took the initiative to change it myself. One pill I took and felt afraid that I would be dependent on this like everyone was at the time. And the television and movies don't help - because they make it seem to cool to be dependent on a pill that is supposed to relieve you of those bad moods. It doesn't work however. It is all about perspective and taking charge, making your life active, even in the most mundane of things such as washing dishes or mowing the lawn - at least you are doing something instead of laying in front of the idiot box.

I still have severe bouts of depression lasting up to a week or two each month but I work my way though it. If you are, I find, able to observe your actions and separate yourself from feelings and judge yourself in an objective manner, then just maybe you can analyze what causes the depression and work through it. Consciousness and awareness is everything.

Maybe depression isn't so unnatural? Maybe all emotions only represent another bell curve? Maybe life is really Hell and some of us are more sensitive than others?

Originally posted by DevilJin
When I finally broke down (stubborn horse I am) and went to the therapist, I thought "This is it? This is the insight that I was missing?" I say this because it was ALREADY obvious to me, but I just ignored it. I felt great feeling terrible. I was happy in the chains of depression. I was conditioned. I noticed it in my food choices - all bad, the music I listen to - all depressing and sad, and the way I looked at the world - the most pessimistic way possible. The therapist prescribed Zoloft and I took one and had a placebo effect. I took the pill and thought hey, this is working, but no. My life changed because I took the initiative to change it myself. One pill I took and felt afraid that I would be dependent on this like everyone was at the time. And the television and movies don't help - because they make it seem to cool to be dependent on a pill that is supposed to relieve you of those bad moods. It doesn't work however. It is all about perspective and taking charge, making your life active, even in the most mundane of things such as washing dishes or mowing the lawn - at least you are doing something instead of laying in front of the idiot box.

I still have severe bouts of depression lasting up to a week or two each month but I work my way though it. If you are, I find, able to observe your actions and separate yourself from feelings and judge yourself in an objective manner, then just maybe you can analyze what causes the depression and work through it. Consciousness and awareness is everything.

What you're describing is called "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" and it works as well as just taking anti-depressant drugs in lots of people. However, in an adult, the combination of CBT and drugs is more effective than either one alone.

[edit on 3-9-2009 by Funshinez]

I can tell you, as the father of a 6 year old, 9 times out of ten these kids don't need anything. It seems that the "cure all", for doctor's of this generation, is prescribing antianxiety and antidepression drugs to any social or behavioral problem that arises in kids.

My son has had these drugs "pushed" on him by almost every doctor we normally see for him, outside of the dentist.

Pediatrician suggested for his "fear" of loud noises and for what he perceived as ADHD. We refused . . . he's over any fears and is already in 2nd grade (with no problems in school).

Nutritionalist suggested we take him to a psychiatrist and place him on drugs because he was refusing to eat anything, except chicken nuggets/strips. We refused . . . I started teaching him about the nutritional content in food and why it's important to our health to eat a wide range of things . . . he's still picky, but trying new things all the time.

School counsellor suggested drugs because he seems "socially out of place, amongst his peers and has made some bad choices on how to behave" (second half of 1st grade). We refused . . . I told the counselor he's just adjusting to a recent divorce and the instablity. I was informed that if he returned for 2nd grade, he would need to be "under medical treatment" drugs or have a statement from a health professional that he did not need "medical treatment". We went to counselling through a cognitive psychologist over the summer and he's a model student this year (so far!).

When the kids are doped up they don't cause problems, show emotion, question. They are very easily programmed . . . and the Disney channel is their best friend . . .

I find this study absolutely revolting. I have to agree with the people who say its the parents fault. Too many households have both parents working. How many kids are practically raised in a daycare so adults can live the american dream and have a huge house with 2 bright shiny new cars in the driveway and a boat for lake trips and big screened TVs and all the material crap the world says we just can't live without. By the time parents come home from a hards days work there is no time for their kids. Sacrifices have to be made for childrens sake.
Then there is also the growing number of women who have no respect for themselves and have 3 different kids by 3 different men. The fathers are not around, the mothers are too busy finding new boyfriends to pay any mind to their kids. The kids are just lost souls in this world looking for some sort of stability in thier lives. My sister in law is exactly one of those people. She has 3 different kids by 3 different men. The fist guy she divorced at age 17 after losing a baby, the second guy she drove crazy and all they did was fight and scream until they broke it off the thrid guy is wanted in england and they fight and scream all the time too. the poor kids are the ones that suffer form bad choices by bad parents. My nephew is a horrible rotton child, he was sent to the principals office and out of his classroom almost everyday his first week of kindergarden. My kids aren't allowed to be around him or his mother for that matter sister in law or not. I don't know the third kid but chances are he wont be much better.
I think parents some have priorities all wrong now a days.

Originally posted by Funshinez

Originally posted by DevilJin
When I finally broke down (stubborn horse I am) and went to the therapist, I thought "This is it? This is the insight that I was missing?" I say this because it was ALREADY obvious to me, but I just ignored it. I felt great feeling terrible. I was happy in the chains of depression. I was conditioned. I noticed it in my food choices - all bad, the music I listen to - all depressing and sad, and the way I looked at the world - the most pessimistic way possible. The therapist prescribed Zoloft and I took one and had a placebo effect. I took the pill and thought hey, this is working, but no. My life changed because I took the initiative to change it myself. One pill I took and felt afraid that I would be dependent on this like everyone was at the time. And the television and movies don't help - because they make it seem to cool to be dependent on a pill that is supposed to relieve you of those bad moods. It doesn't work however. It is all about perspective and taking charge, making your life active, even in the most mundane of things such as washing dishes or mowing the lawn - at least you are doing something instead of laying in front of the idiot box.

I still have severe bouts of depression lasting up to a week or two each month but I work my way though it. If you are, I find, able to observe your actions and separate yourself from feelings and judge yourself in an objective manner, then just maybe you can analyze what causes the depression and work through it. Consciousness and awareness is everything.

What you're describing is called "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" and it works as well as just taking anti-depressant drugs in lots of people. However, in an adult, the combination of CBT and drugs is more effective than either one alone.

[edit on 3-9-2009 by Funshinez]

Thanks for the official term! I will definitely research CBT for some more elaboration on it. As for the combination of CBT and drugs - I still can't get over the dependence on drugs. I mean, must I pop a pill in order to live without the colossal weight of anxiety and depression? Must I harm my body with a pill in order to feel temporary normality as if I couldn't on my own? I am all for people taking drugs when they seriously need it, but for me, I would rather face the tormenting depression without the pills than to suffer it and run to the medicine cabinet for the drugs as if it was a soft bullet to the brain to "feel" better.

I've never even known a depressed preschooler. Is there really any such thing?

Where I come from, if a child's being good we spend some special time sitting on the porch swing with them sharing some sweet tea. If a child's being naughty we spank their little butts. If a child's feeling sorry for themselves and acting a little depressed we lock em in a closet for twenty minutes, with a wet cat and a fire cracker just so's they can see how really good they had it.

Preschoolers are still babies in my book and where I'm from we don't drug our babies.

Star and flag

[edit on 3-9-2009 by Sundancer]

Children with depression in these numbers are insane. And makes me wonder if all these years of fluoride and prescription drugs and additives in our food is not only affecting our bodies, but our offspring.

Prozac ... for kids? That's deplorable, 100% awful.

After all these years of medical advancements, this is the best we can do?

This is not the age of enlightenment.