Dexedrine for 4 year-olds

[kaydeejaded]

another question is just a very simple one

Is a four year old supposed to sit still?

who would have surrivied in the prairie or woods a child who was very sedentary or active?

We are now medicating the very "survival or the fittest" traits that made these individuals the ones here today.

It is insane to me.

I would worry more about the four year old sitting on his ass then the hyper one.

And if you are going to tell me long term use of speed in a not even fully developed caridovasicular system is not even slightly damaging but adults should not do cocaine that just sounds like complete lies. Total bullshit. I don't buy it.

Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other.
--James Madison

[Deborah]

A child is considered overly active and has behavioral issues at school. The school staff may recommend psychiatric intervention and even go as far as to say that medication is necessary, even designating which one.

The child sees the psychiatrist for a brief
session- is never examined to rule out if the child has any physical conditions, allergies, etc. Immediately the child is labeled and given a dose of psychostimulant.

The child develops side effects such as weight loss, insomnia, and possible tics. In order to counteract the insomnia, a new drug such as Klonidine is added.

The child develops emotional lability and has crying episodes and manic behaviors. The psychiatrist is seen again for a brief time, and
on this visit its determined that 'bipolar is
emerging'. The child is then given Depakote or some other mood stablizer. The child now must receive regular blood tests to insure that liver toxicity does not arise.

The child is not overly active, he is quite
docile, so it is reported that improvement has
occurred. However, with the combination of drugs, he develops some psychotic like symptoms where he feels something is crawling on him and has some
hallucinations. The psychiatrist is consulted again, and its determined that bipolar with psychoticfeatures exists or maybe even the possibility of childhood schizophrenia. The child is then given Risperdal or another neuroleptic.

Strangely, the child begins developing unusual jaw movements and muscle rigidity. The parents are concerned and ask the psychiatrist if this is medication related and if the child is overmedicated. The psychiatrist brushes off the question and prescribes Cogentin (used for
Parkinson's) to alleviate the neurological problems but fails to remove the offending agent.

The child's behavior becomes more unusual and bizarre leading to hospitalization where medications are raised and adjusted and new ones added. Then the recommendation comes from the psychiatrist that it would be better for the child to be moved to a residential treatment
facility.

While in the residential facility, the child
is frequently restrained and is injured, he is placed with other children with serious emotional and behavioral distress. He is discharged home having absorbed alot of new negative behaviors from peers, lacking knowledge of the outside world, and with few skills.

So, once the child nears adulthood, it is recommended that he live in a group home where he can be cared for and the psychiatric regiment can be maintained. The child has been 'treated.'

~~Rev. Dan L. Edmunds, MA, EdD (candidate)
President- Rose Garden Children's Foundation
Behavioral Specialist/ Mobile Therapist for private agency Dunmore, PA
http://www.geocities.com/stnektarios
http://www.geocities.com/batushkad

[Anonymous]

I was suicidal beginning when I was five years old.  It's a minor miracle I survived to adulthood.  Nothing was diagnosed until I was in my late teens.

My parents and other family members were nice, but eccentric, people.  I was not abused.

Now that mental illness is better understood, every close blood relative I've got has a diagnosis, virtually every blood relative is on psychiatric medication---and it's an improvement.

If you're normal of course it seems bizarre to prescribe psychiatric medication to children.

"How impaired are these children, really?" someone asked---well, dead would be pretty damned impaired.

[Deborah]

The discussion/debate on depression, SSRIs and children happened in this thread:
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=3515&forum=9