Posted on 06/08/2004 1:47:55 PM PDT by Frapster
Pills vs. Talking When It Comes to Mental Illness, Parents Face Dilemmas Over Medication, Talk Therapy
By Bryan Robinson
June 7, 2004 — When Chad Taylor noticed his son was apparently experiencing serious side effects from Ritalin prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he decided to take the boy off the medication. Now, he says he may be accused of child abuse.
In February, 12-year-old Daniel began displaying some symptoms that his father suspected were related to the use of Ritalin.
"He was losing weight, wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating," Taylor told ABC News affiliate KOAT-TV in New Mexico. "[He] just wasn't Daniel."
So Taylor took Daniel off Ritalin, against his doctor's wishes. And though Taylor noticed Daniel was sleeping better and his appetite had returned, his teachers complained about the return of his disruptive behavior. Daniel seemed unable to sit still and was inattentive. His teachers ultimately learned that he was no longer taking Ritalin.
School officials reported Daniel's parents to New Mexico's Department of Children, Youth and Families.Then a detective and social worker made a home visit.
"The detective told me if I did not medicate my son, I would be arrested for child abuse and neglect," Taylor said.
A spokesman for New Mexico's Department of Children, Youth and Families told KOAT-TV that they could not comment on the case because of state confidentiality laws. John Francis, a detective for the Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety, said that Taylor was not threatened but told KOAT-TV that parents could be charged in situations like his.
"People can be charged with child abuse, child neglect or various other crimes involving a child," he said.
More Kids on Antidepressants
Taylor is among many parents facing a dilemma over whether to medicate children who suffer from mental disorders. A recent study by Express Scripts Inc., a medical benefits management company, found antidepressant use increased 49 percent among consumers younger than 18 between 1998 and 2002. Preschoolers up to age 5, the study found, were the fastest-growing users of prescription antidepressants.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
bump
It's hard to tell if this father is overreacting. All the reports I've read said the officials told him only that sometimes children are removed from their homes when prescribed medication isn't being given to the child there -- not that they had determined to pursue that action in this case. And there's so little info on the boy's condition, or about alternatives that the father wants to try, that there's no way to tell who's being unreasonable.
According to the article, the father says the kid eats and sleeps when off the medication -- well, that's nice, but if those are the only things he can do normally without the medication, SOME kind of aggressive approach is needed. The teachers say the boy is out of control in the classroom when off the medication -- well, that might be a problem with the classroom, but without any indication from the father that the boy functions okay (besides eating and sleeping) in other settings without the medication, then we don't have a clue as to whether the boy really has a serious problem or not.
Hey Biscuits & gravy,
This was posted earlier but I must say...this father needs to fight! Schools cannot have greater power over our children than parents! Ritalin is not a "life saving" medication & while it helps some causes others problems.
I figured as much - I searched on the title and its various forms and I searched on various key words. bleh.
Don't blame yourself, I have posted pre-existing material a few times despite best efforts - the FR search function couldn't find a moth with a searchlight.
No worries FRiend, I'm not the posting police! Besides I have troubles finding stuff on the search engine ALL the time!
Then he should sue the school district under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) if they fail to accommodate his son's problem, for failing to write a new IEP, new classroom protocols in line with the new treatment(s), etc.
Government shrinker, you seem to agree with and concede to the notion that it's the govts job to dictate and decide what is best for the child. why do you believe this?
The parent has the right over their own children. his mistake was letting the shrink turn his kid into a xzombie in the first place, and for trusting the public school to indocrinate his kids' mind.
You can argue 'should we use meds, or talk therapy', till the cows come home. it is a worthwhile discussion. however, when people buy into the 'big lie' that it's govts ultimate say in the well being of children, that is way off base.
do a google search on: parental rights child services
There is also a good site called www.stopshrinks.org with some info on this topic relating to these medications, etc.
The real problem is that we force people (children) to stand still and try to learn when all they really want to do is to go off and discover.
I don't think the government should be interfering in child-rearing except in extreme cases. Though if a parent puts a child in a public school, a certain amount of cooperation with that institution is inevitably necessary. I was just pointing out the lack of relevant facts in this article, and suggesting that without those facts, it's hard to defend either the father or the school.
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