rowen Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 I'm taking a child's (early childhood) psych class at a community college. We meet once a week, hence the long class period. The majority of the class is made up of child care workers, health care workers, and child care or health care workers-in-training. A significant portion of the class is made up of non-traditional students. Today we were drumming up some ideas for class projects. One thing that was mentioned during the brain storming session was how children are often over-diagnosed with mental disorders, particularly AD/HD. Another person suggested researching the supposed "vaccine/autism" link. And another person suggested looking at the genetics behind MI, as she has a niece with child-onset bipolar disorder; however the niece's mother is depressed and the child is probably mimicking her mother's depression (Even if she is mimicking her mother's depression, it's still depression. And early onset of depression may or may not indicate bipolar disorder. And so on...). Oh, and one person brought up a horrific news story that involved a mother brutally killing her child. The classmate called the mother "mental". Mental illnesses are difficult to diagnose in anyone, but especially children. And I know that aggressive marketing tactics from pharmaceutical companies, over-worked and undereducated teachers, and healthcare workers making MI diagnoses when they're most likely unqualified to make make for a decent number of misdiagnosed children. I interpreted a lot of the classmates remarks to mean that they were not really considering that children do have mental illnesses, and that many people have little understanding as to the definition of a mental illness (PSYCH 101 was not a prerequisite for this course). It really sucks to be a kid with an untreated mental illness, and I just can't help but think that there are a number of children out there who are not getting help because of familial ignorance. I know I just said a lot of pretty obvious stuff, but I was so pissed off after class and needed to let it out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 I know I just said a lot of pretty obvious stuff, but I was so pissed off after class and needed to let it out... you did really well not hitting anybody, IMO. i would have been breathing fire. sorry you're stuck with idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resonance Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 People used to think that children couldn't feel physical pain, too. What the fuck is wrong with some people? Seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 My son has an eval next week. This isn't a situation of overworked teachers/tired parents. His problems are real, and growing worse it seems each day. We've had team meetings between his teachers, counselor and principal, everyone is willing to do whatever it takes, even giving him small special priviledges, like 15 minutes' time to draw, or moving his desk so he's less distracted, giving him additional library time. I just had to bring this up, because I have long held the belief that add/adhd has been grossly overdiagnosed, by parents who don't want to work with their child, and the physician who bows down to the request of medication. HOWEVER, there are very true cases of it, and one thing I'm worried about, besides add, is depression, as the symptoms show up differently in children than they do in adults, and naturally, BP, since I am myself. I've had to finally accept that my son indeed may need medication, as well as therapy. I could write a book on all the things happening, but I won't. Sufficed to say, yes, there are plenty of childhood MI's out there, it's just damned hard to find someone who will either take it seriously, or won't overdose from the pressure of the Big Pharms. Oh, and we have started asking when he was 5... his ped said that she wouldn't do an eval before the age of 7, it's too hard to pinpoint symptoms, and being in school is what is seriously looked at. And yeah, my 7yo in regressing in his 2nd grade class, he can't even do two-step directions, the teacher has to tell him one thing at a time. I am very nervous about next week, this is a scary thing to acceot that your child will have lifelong medical needs, but I guess it's no different than physical handicaps. I'll try to remember this thread, and report back what they have to say. And in my own therapy, so far we're pinpointing that my BP/OCD symptoms probably started around the age of 8-10, maybe a little younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spuffy Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 As a ten year old with intrusive fears over extraterrestrials, the need to re-wash utensils before eating and recurring night terrors, I myself begged to see a psychologist. On the appointed morning, I tried to describe what was going on between hysterical sobs. The school psychologist replied, "I usually see children with REAL problems." I'm not sure where U.S. society stands as compared to others. Some international interaction: when I asked my Peruvian professor for an extension due to MI issues, he suggested playing "beisbol" to take care of my problems. Mexican friends were uncomfortable and began to mock the little information I had told them. These are anecdotes regarding individuals, of course. I will have to learn more about attitudes to MI in Latin and South American countries. On the marketing of pharmaceuticals angle, I'm currently scanning tons of classic drug ads and the sexism and condescension of some of them boggle my mind. I'm boggled, you hear! Then again, you might say these things are intrinsic aspects of most forms of advertising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 On the marketing of pharmaceuticals angle, I'm currently scanning tons of classic drug ads and the sexism and condescension of some of them boggle my mind. I'm boggled, you hear! Then again, you might say these things are intrinsic aspects of most forms of advertising. Spuffy, are those ads anything you can share with the group? *looks hopeful* i'd love to see those. sorry you had such a crappy experience at 10. i think lots of us can relate :/ i wonder how often that happens now, versus *ahem* years ago (i'm not saying how many for me!)? the first shrink i ever saw was at 11 i think. she also thought there wasn't anything REALLY wrong with me. and made my mother sit in on everything.... hmmm how likely was it that i could be honest anyway? -lysergia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spuffy Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 the first shrink i ever saw was at 11 i think. she also thought there wasn't anything REALLY wrong with me. and made my mother sit in on everything.... hmmm how likely was it that i could be honest anyway? Ugh. Spuffy, are those ads anything you can share with the group? *looks hopeful* i'd love to see those. Absolutely. I'll start a thread (under good stuff?) sometime today with a link. -S Here it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Absolutely. I'll start a thread (under good stuff?) sometime today with a link. -S yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croix Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Rabbit, we had the same problem with my boy. The TEACHERS were bullying him for having ADHD. I pulled him out last year with two weeks to go in the school year. We had had enough. I'm homeschooling now and it's going great. Not that that is the right answer for every family, but it is for us. He can take all the time he needs to do his work now. And he enjoys learning again. Let us know how the eval goes. My boy needs meds in the winter (when he's cooped up alot) and none at all in the summer (lots of running around outside). Croix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Thanks so much, Croix... I'm not so sure about the "H" part, I do think he's high spirited, but his emotional problems are far worse. The teacher has him currently sitting on a yoga ball instead of a chair - and he loves it - but she said lately he's literally been flying off of it, not intentionally, so I guess it could be. Homeschooling? <shudder> I don't think *I* would be the best substitute for a teacher <gah, no way!>. His teacher now is young, this is her first year of teaching, and she's really giving him leeway since she knows we're involved in a group effort for him. And next year, there is a male teacher that the kids absolutely adore, he's young and energetic. I think with the problems we're having, a request for my son being in his class would be taken seriously. The part about the seasons I can definitely see. While it was still pleasant, we would walk to school, and not only did that help physically, I think it also helped prepare him mentally for the day ahead. I guess I should just grit my teeth, bundle up, and keep walking. I'll update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowen Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 I ordered a bunch of pamphlets on children and mental health issues from SAMHSA. I intend to bring them to my child's psych class as soon as I receive them. Croix and Rabbit, it's so awesome that you're working with your kids. I know it probably sounds like a no-brainer thing to do, but there are a lot of parents that fail to recognize MI in kids, or they simply won't help kids get treatment. (This happened to my mother) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit37 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Hell, J, my parent's didn't get me help. I had pulled out all my eyelashes, for god's sake, kept them out for two years. I was told it looked ugly and to quit doing it. They grew back in when I found my lovely, lovely self-medicating drugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caillech Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I had the same thing happen to me as a child. I had devastating mental problems from the time I can remember and my mom never even thought about getting me into therapy or seeing a pdoc or anything. I was having major paranoid delusions at age 11 and apparently this didnt bother her enough to seek treatment either. Only after a nasty OD at age 13 was I given treatment. Most of the health "professionals" told my mom that I didnt have anything wrong with me and that I was acting out for attention. Grrrr. Just sayin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Grrr for all of us but i guess it doesn't help to dwell on what coulda been huh. still makes me mad though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldfinch Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Yeah, the people in that class sound grossly uninformed. Check this out: http://activemindsoncampus.org/ Here is their description: "Active Minds is the nation's only peer-to-peer organization dedicated to raising awareness about mental health among college students. The organization serves as the young adult voice in mental health advocacy on over one hundred college campuses nationwide." It sounds like a great organization, maybe your college needs a chapter there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 I had to pull my nephew out of middle school and home school him. My niece is BPI and HFA and I work closely with the elementary school. I have to look out for their best interests because no one else will. I learned that from my own childhood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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