<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Full articleBill to Screen, Medicate Kids May Hit Senate This Week
by Christopher Getzan
Legislation to test children for "mental health disorders" and then provide them commercial drugs -- which would be highly controversial if people knew about it -- could reach Congress during this month's lame duck session.
Can they start in here [img]eek.gif[/img]
This one requires a little extra thought. The idea itself sounds like it might be a good thing to make sure that the kids that need help, have their symptoms diagnosed early enough that they can get the attention that they need.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Symptoms that children exhibit can probably be traced back to lack of attention from mummy and daddy than any real mental problem.This one requires a little extra thought. The idea itself sounds like it might be a good thing to make sure that the kids that need help, have their symptoms diagnosed early enough that they can get the attention that they need
I love this. We don't want to take care of our children so let's medicate them.
And people wonder why I have no kids. At least I realized that I didn't want them. [img]graemlins/whatever.gif[/img]
More screening should be done, but not through the schools. Pediatricians could perform additional testing based on parental agreement. That would guarantee more privacy, etc.
Right about now I can agree with Jump about kids - my son pulled his grades way up, but just got suspended for 10 days and might get expelled. Too ticked off to go into more detail...
<font color="#a52a2a" size="1">[ November 18, 2004 09:54 AM: Message edited by: LanDroid ]</font>
I'm calling BS on Lan.
My oldest will be 28 in just a couple of weeks. According to todays standards, Erin is ADHD/OCD and lots of other stuff and should have been medicated all through shcool to keep from asking "why?".
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">ditto.Originally posted by gae:
I'm calling BS on Lan.
My oldest will be 28 in just a couple of weeks. According to todays standards, Erin is ADHD/OCD and lots of other stuff and should have been medicated all through shcool to keep from asking "why?".
BOTH my girls fall into this category.
It was not clear to me from that article how far the proposed legislation goes in taking away the rights of parents to make decisions for their children.
Can a parent opt their child out of the testing? Would any drug therapy be recommended or mandated?
It was nice to see the bit at the bottom about Ron Paul. He has been the Libertarian Party candidate for President (1988) and I see he is now a Republican Congressman. He is in a good position to comment on this topic, as he is an M.D. himself (ob/gyn, I wonder what he thinks of John Edwards! [img]wink.gif[/img] ), in the majority party, and a long-time proponent of personal liberty.
AL, AFAIK the testing will be across the board, because, yanno, parents just might not know their kids.
This is a very, very bad thing.
Some of you met GS & JDF's older daughter when you all were here. She's NOT typical (thanks GS & JDF!) but she hardly needs to be drugged.
AL's sons fall into the same category. They're incredibly bright and mature, like E & L, an I'm sure that all 4 are a challeng to their parents and teachers.
I'd rather have my patience tried by the "why's" and "what does this mean?" questions than a child drugged to the point of not caring,
My aunt had Down syndrome. When she was a baby, everybody commented on what a GOOD baby she was. Not fussy. Willing to sit quietly in a seat and face the wall for hours at a time.
She was a MUCH easier baby than my Dad, who grew to have a prodigious intellect (only matched/overmatched by his heart). My Dad as a baby fussed a LOT if left unattended in a boring situation. He wanted to be held up so he could see and hear things.
My Mom used to remind me about this when my boys were young and didn't want to be put down. (I asked my sister who had a lot of children - "He cries when I put him down, as soon as I pick him up he stops crying, what should I do?" to which her answer was, "Hold him" and I said "How long?" and she said, "As long as he will let you.")
Alot of times the 'hyperactivity' that is medicated can be taken care of simply through diet. If you lessen a childs sugar intake, they are less likely to be bouncing off the walls. When I was younger, one of my brothers was like this. Very hyper, always into things. My mom took him to the doctor to see if anything was wrong with him. All the doc did was tell mom to not give him red pop and to cut his sugar intake. She did that and he calmed down. He was still very questioning with the why's and how comes, but he wasn't bouncing off the walls.
Oh, BTW, no one can ever tell me that my kids are ADD of ADHD or whatever else is overmedicated today. They are naturally curious and want to know things and will pester you until they get an answer to what they are looking for. I agree with Gae, I would rather have my patience tested (and I have, severely sometimes) and have my kids gain knowledge than to have them be vegtables and not want to do anything.
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