Frontline "The Medicated Child"
Tuesday, January 8th Frontline on PBS is discussing the issue of medicating children with behavioral issues. The show is titled "The Medicated Child". As we all know this is a very controversial subject. Hopefully the show portrays a balanced look at this important issue.
Joe and I have always struggled over the issue of using medication to help Maizie. It has been our experience that medications have helped Maizie in many ways. With her medications her ability to focus is improved, her moods are more balanced and she struggles less with impulsiveness, aggressiveness and assist her with sleeping through the night. And of course the biggest benefit is the slowing of her seizures.
I do not agree that medications are an "easy" way to parent. The outlook that lazy parents medicate their kids so they don't have to deal with them is beyond ridiculous. There is nothing easy about using medications to help your child.
I think it takes a strong, educated and well balanced parent to make the tough choice concerning whether or not to use medication to help their child. Medication alone will not help struggling children. Medication is not for every child with behavioral difficulties. The decision should always be made very carefully.
20 comments:
You said it, Marla. It is NOT easy. We agonized over our decision to start meds with Miss M.
We are pleased that we did. And, I should add, it was not the "easy" choice, and parenting still is not "easy" - just more manageable.
But it wasn't about us - it was about *her*.
She has help now - just enough to help her use her coping skills and other compensatory skills to regulate herself.
She's still doing all of the heavy lifting. It just gives her the help she needs.
I'm eager to see the show. Thanks for the heads up.
You said it all when you said "using medication to help Maizie." The key is to "help" her- not to "parent" her, or to help you (I have my own meds for that!) :)
I had Jaysen on meds awhile ago, and stopped because we thought he was developing TD. I am currently fighting with the decision of whether or not to put him back on- for him.
I agree. You are aware of our struggles with Lissa..we did not choose to medicate until a year ago, although she was diagnosed with ADHD at age 4. Initially, I saw meds as an "out". However, I see it much differently now; as a way to treat Lissa's symptoms, and a sort of cushion while we continue to overcome and adjust to her behaviors. It has worked wonders. Alot of that thanks goes to you. Now to find a dr that's not so sporatic!
We are not medicating right now because of age. But I have a feeling when he gets older that he will need something for anxiety. Probably because The Hub was just prescribed one and it has made a world of difference for him (and for me, but mostly for him). Maybe middle school might be made a little easier transition if he has the meds. Of course I'm getting ahead of myself...I'll worry about kindergarten first! Ha!
Everything you said is so true and I agree with you 100%.
J has been on medication since he was three. It was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do.
With her medications her ability to focus is improved, her moods are more balanced and she struggles less with impulsiveness, aggressiveness and assist her with sleeping through the night.
All this is the same for J too. And as he's getting older he's learning how to regulate himself. There may come a time when he no longer needs his medications. Until then, he has them and they help.
Our daughter does not have autism but does suffer from some left over mental hand me downs from her bio mother. We tryed to do the no meds thing for 10 years after many scars on myself and my daughter from her and her self esteem being so low that she was wanting to not live anylonger if seh could not control her moods... we meded. I am happy we did.
Marla I totally agree, the decision to medicate should be made carefully and with consideration of the individual child (and what can help them). J is not on medication as such, but does have a list of supplements a mile long that he takes daily - even this has some people raising their eyebrows at us.
I too hope the show has a balanced look at the issue - hopefully it doesn't have the 'lazy parents' outlook (a bit like the 'bad parenting causes autism or ADHD outlook).
Thanks for the heads up on the program; I'll set up to record it.
You've said it very aptly; it is not an easy way out nor does it make anything really "easier" --just different and perhaps sometimes a bit more manageable. We hesitate to medicate Nik yet until we've tried some other things first; he's had so many meds pumped through his little body from all his time in the hospital that we are extremely wary about overtaxing his organs to process the stuff. Also, we don't yet know and understand some of the longer term ramifications for his particular biology (anatomy/physiology?). But we also no longer think of it as "an easy way out" either.
A very good and precise post, Marla. I have only today written about my thoughts of Ritalin, a very last resort drug and one which should not be used freely. I am no medical expert and will never pretend to be one. But I know my daughter better than anyone, just like you do with Maizie. I sometimes think parents of special needs children should be trusted more. These decisions are far too often made by professionals who know very little about the child involved apart from what a parent tells them - "she/he is hard work," "I can't cope anymore." It's time to sit up and look at the underlying problem of which in most cases comes from the parent.
Crystal xx
Sounds like we are all somewhat thankful for the results of medications with our children and all understand that it is never an easy process. I am looking forward to this show. Hopefully it is decent.
Wow, I missed some very powerful posts in the past week or so. I agree with Crystal that the parents should be listened to more.
I am excited to see this. Frontline usually does a pretty good job of presenting a respectful balance. Hopefully the show will be educational. Thanks for the heads up.
We have struggled with this since Demetrius entered mainstream kindergarten. We really went around and around. Then he got on Methlyn (Sp?) and immediately teachers were commenting on his increased focus, etc... now we are testing meds that last longer, so he gets more of a full day with his attention, etc..(methlyn tends to wear off after 3-4 hours. We think we may have found a new one.
Meds aren't about being a good or bad parent. It isn't a reflection on how I 'parent'. It is a tool to enable him to be a better student, and have a better life in the very stressful elementary school environment.
At this point, I refuse to let society in general 'judge' our choice on this. Not when it is giving him a better overall quality of life.
Jerry Grasso
Jerry-Very well said! We use the term tool a lot too. Thank you for sharing.
I'm not sure what to say, I don't have a TV so I didn't see the show - I think most parents want to do what is best but then a lot of parents will do what they are told (the Milgrim experiments showed that). Also, is the decision being made when the parent is well rested, and different people have different levels of coping. My parents used to sedate me with hard liquor as a child and only later did I find out that giving a 1 year old rum milk as way to keep them quiet isn't...er....typical (the solution when I was sick and would cry....more rum!). I also think that you have to remember that where one is raised or where the parents were raised can make a vast difference in what is considered "behavioral difficulties" - the ability to not sit perfectly still at age 3 for 20 minutes without moving in some closed societies is seen as "rebellion" or a "behavoiral disorder". Just saying.
Eliz-You make some very good points here. I can't believe you don't have a television. I thought you did? I have not seen the show yet either. I hope it is good. I have heard of parents doing the "rum" thing. I hope that it is rare.
I am not familiar with the Miligrim
experiments. I will have to look into that.
The "Milgrim (hope that is the right spelling) Experiments" were done in the late 50's because so many people asked, "Why did the Germans let those in power do such things, why didn't the guards at the death camps DO something?" So Milgrim had two subjects come in (one was actually a researcher) and it was to "test" negative reinforcement on learning - and each time the learner got a question wrong, they would get an electric shock, then the voltage would be increased. It was rigged so the person who just wandered in was always the person with the button and the other person was in a room with a speaker connection (not actually connected to the electric volts) - the person with the button had a 10 volt shock to see that yes, it was painful. Then, each series of questions where one was wrong, a shock, and if repeated, the voltage was increased. And it was continued to be increased past 400 volts (beyond lethal levels). What they found was that as long as there was a person in a white lab coat in the room, 85% of people would go the whole way, electrocute a person to death (and about 200 volts the person would be screaming and screaming and the person with the button would turn to the lab coat and say, "What should I do?" and the person would say, "That is a wrong answer - push the button." and they would. Then after being incoherent, screaming in pain, they would fall silent (the volts had reached a stage where they would be dead). The person would ask, "What should I do" - lab coat says, "No answer is a wrong answer - push the button." And they did. What was scary is that almost 50% of people never asked even with the screaming or anything, they just pushed the button all the way to the limit (when asked later they said "I wanted the scientists to think well of me/be impressed with me" - it showed that most of the population will if ordered, do not such nice things because "I was only following orders."
Eliz-Now that you explained that I have seen versions done of that test on shows like 20/20. Obviously not to that extreme. And yet there are still schools where children are being shocked to "learn" appropriate behavior.
I 100% agree. We put TC on Clonidine at night to help him go to sleep. And most nights, he doesn't sleep all night due to his health issues but atleast he is ABLE to go to sleep, unlike before. The decision to medicate him wasn't an easy one but a necessary one.
Kristi-You are right. It is a very hard decision, one that requires a lot of thought and study.
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