children and psychiatric medication

I was just thinking about this,because I see a dr for antidepressants and asked him what he thought about putting young children(ten and under) on meds like Ritalin,and if he thought kids are overmedicated these days.
He told me,that within one or two sessions it's obvious to a professional whether a kid is just "being a kid" or if there is something else going on.

What do you think?A few years ago there was a news-story about "kiddie-crack" and the like.Are children overmedicated?Do you feel like your dr was too quick to prescribe meds to your child,or has your child benefitted from meds for adhd and depression?

I am bipolar, and my personality changed at 3 years old. I was depressed most of my childhood, and i wish it would have been different. Now any change would have helped, and i am sure therapy would have made a difference. But if not i could see benefiting from medicine. I was the only kid in elementary school that regularly thought about killing myself, I dont even know how i knew that i could do it. But when things got bad... that was the solution.


i wish i could go back and give myself a hug

Quoting tantric☮lemons:“ I am bipolar, and my personality changed at 3 years old. I was depressed most of my childhood, and i ... [snip!] ... how i knew that i could do it. But when things got bad... that was the solution. i wish i could go back and give myself a hug”

Me,too.
 

Quoting tantric☮lemons:“ I am bipolar, and my personality changed at 3 years old. I was depressed most of my childhood, and i ... [snip!] ... how i knew that i could do it. But when things got bad... that was the solution. i wish i could go back and give myself a hug”

 Me too.

Quoting Yeah I'm Her(TNTC):“  Me too.”

i just know the problems i had
and how i could have benefited from the right medication

My son starts seeing a shrink in a week. I have to go see them on Monday and then they'll go talk to him. I'm very anti pill for children but it depends on the diagnosis. I can't help thinking that whatever goes through his head is my fault... but anyway

My SO has severe ADHD and the pills just turn him into a zombie so he's ditched those and found other ways to handle it. When he was little though he was on 4 different types of drugs to deal with it.

Quoting Kalith:“ My son starts seeing a shrink in a week. I have to go see them on Monday and then they'll go talk to ... [snip!] ... those and found other ways to handle it. When he was little though he was on 4 different types of drugs to deal with it.”

as a kid the add pills only made me high

Quoting Kalith:“ My son starts seeing a shrink in a week. I have to go see them on Monday and then they'll go talk to ... [snip!] ... those and found other ways to handle it. When he was little though he was on 4 different types of drugs to deal with it.”

Good luck at the meeting,mama.I hope the dr is open-minded and listens .

Quoting Yeah I'm Her(TNTC):“ I was just thinking about this,because I see a dr for antidepressants and asked him what he thought about ... [snip!] ... feel like your dr was too quick to prescribe meds to your child,or has your child benefitted from meds for adhd and depression?”

Yes, I think kids are overmedicated. Their little brains are still developing and I think those drugs could potentially do more harm than good.

I actually let them put my son on ritalin when he was six. He was bouncing off the walls adhd. But I didn't like the side effects. In order for it to slow him down, he needed megadoses. And those high dosages made him quit eating. He was too skinny to begin with. So I took him off and changed his diet. No more preservatives or food colorings. ( Regular benadryl had him bouncing off the walls. Dye-Free Benadryl had no such effects )And we did more behavioral therapy.
I am happy to say it worked within just a few months. He is waaaaaaay calmer now and thriving.

I don't think you can accurately diagnose a young child with certain psychiatric disorders. Alot of times they just need to grow and learn behavioral norms.