[Tax-chick]

I know there are some cases where chemical imbalances cause depression symptoms, but most of the time, people are depressed because bad stuff is happening in their lives. I think it's totally wrong, especially for children, to refuse to address what's making them unhappy, and just give them uppers so they won't bother anyone.

We had a very good experience with a family counselor a few years ago, when our oldest daughter was having problems. The counselor was able to point out where we had personality clashes that could be avoided, and how we could deal more effectively with our daughter as she was maturing. No drugs required.

But in order for counseling to be effective for children, first you have to get both parents to invest the time, and then people have to be willing to make changes in their lives to get better results. Easier just to drug everyone than to stop living in a psychologically damaging way.

[Eska]

I've seen both sides of the picture in the classroom. Alot of kids benefit from the medication.

What really bothers me is all the abuse situations in the American family. I have several emotionally disturbed students; all the kids were sexually abused by parents and now are being raised by relatives. Without medication these children will be institutionalized. Pretty sad, because these kids are very intelligent and driven individuals. For these type kids, the medication is very necessary. Also, why doesn't our govt hold abusive parents accountable? They slap their hands and the kids are destroyed for the rest of their lives.