Skip to main content

On Dr. Phil Today - PARENTING WITH PILLS

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

It may be late for some, but Dr. Phil’s show today is about parenting and how doctors are over medicating children

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 10/03/2004 - 2:46 PM

Permalink

Thank you for your input, Dr. Phil!!!! I would like to see him in the shoes of so many single parents: No health insurance, working two jobs to make ends meet and a special needs kid that is difficult at home and whom the school is loathe to accomodate! Or, better yet, how ‘bout one of the really severe cases where the school says that they child cannot attend unless they are medicated. Of course, it is clearly the parents that are at fault—esp. Mom.

Dr. Phil, when you have walked in my shoes, I will entertain your comments seriously—until then; can it!.

Here are the facts about neurological problems and children: We don’t have enough information to fix the array of problems that we are seeing in children. Medication is not a perfect solution—every parent that I have ever met with a child who has an IEP—is loathe to medicate their child but is still faced with the reality of trying to see that they learn, trying to preserve their self-esteem and trying to deal with them at home.

My daughter’s neuro-psychiatrist and I reached an early understanding: New meds were only tried in the summer and we started with the lowest
possible dosage and increased it only on as-needed basis during the summer when I would be personally present to observe its effects. I would never trust someone else’s judgement in this matter. There are some cases where it is the only option. Here is a raw, ugly fact: Medical insurance companies will probably opt to pay for pills than to correct the problem with therapy that retrains the brain.

Back to Top