Kellevision

Please, please, please let my child have a mental illness?

The mother grinned broadly and triumphantly when she announced that the psychiatrist had diagnosed her child with ADHD.  "I knew it!"  "No one would listen to me, but I knew it, and I was right!"

An Open Letter to the DSM-5

Mental health professionals from around the world are signing a petition contesting the proposed changes to the DSM-5, as the medical model of mental illness continues to have its validity challenged.

Generation RX - The Effects of Capitalism on the Practice of Medicine

"To call normal children diseased, abnormal, chemically imbalanced.  To make patients out of them for profit.  This is not only anti-scientific, it is contrary to our Hippocratic oath.  It is immoral, and it should be exposed and stopped."

Dr. Fred A. Baughman, MD
Neurologist and Author
As quoted from the movie, "Generation RX"

Children, Psychotropic Medications and Death

Jung at Heart writes about "Things to Worry About" on his blog.  His worries?  Overmedicated children.

Another "ADHD and Bipolar Child" - Not

He is six years old.  His mother begins the intake stating that he is "ADHD" and "Bipolar".  She tells me his 3 year old little sister is also "Bipolar".  I'm horrified.  She's only 3 years old!  The mother states this as if it were a fact.  She continues...

Big Pharma causes Big Problems

The more I see of the pharmaceutical industry's (a.k.a. "Big Pharma") influence on how we think about human behaviors and their treatment, the more worried I become. 

ADHD Medications Do Not Affect School Performance

A recent article on the Child Psychology Research Blog, "ADHD Medications and School Performance" cites a research study which shows that "medication alone may not have a significant impact on" the childrens' school functioning.   

Anxiety: Nature vs. Nurture

The New York Times has a wonderful article on anxiety, "Understanding the Anxious Mind" which seems to suggest that we are born with an anxious temperament.  Personally, I wonder.

When Childhood Bipolar Disorder - Isn't

I really have a problem with the recent surge in diagnosing children with Bipolar Disorder.  The children I see with this diagnosis are often the victims of serious issues at home, issues which may even include abuse.  Some struggle with PTSD and the mood swings which are inherent in a traumatized individual are attributed to "Bipolar Disorder" and medicated. 

10 Ways to Help an "ADHD" Child - Without Medication

Many children with whom I work I have been labeled "ADHD" and placed on medications in an attempt to control their "acting out" or their "meltdowns" or their "behavior problems" at school.