[Politicalmom]

My son is bi-polar and has ADHD. Risperdal has been a life saver-for him and our entire family.

I am not a lazy parent. My son comes from a loving, intact family.

I fought medication for YEARS. The improvement has been so wonderful I wish I had done it sooner.

[Clara Lou]

This was my post. Key words are bolded: I’m going to say that the root of some significant part of this is poor parenting skills.
Bi-polar is a very serious condition. It doesn't occur because of poor parenting--so my comment couldn't possibly apply to your situation. Please notice that I did not extend my comment to include ALL cases of children on medication. [I tried to word my statement in a way to make that clear.]

I've taught years of pre-k, elementary, and middle school. I have seen students placed on medication because the parent(s) just shrugged and said, "I don't know what else to do"--when the child simply needed a parent who understood how to set expectations and how to administer consequences.