The Medicated Child Essay

As the second decade of the 21st century progresses, the population approaches seven billion. With so many people, how are people supposed to stand out in job applications, or catch the administrators’ eye as he or she reads applications to highly prestigious colleges and universities? More and more people are asking this question, and more and more people are finding help in a small pill. Originally diagnosed for Alzheimer’s disease and ADHD, these drugs are increasingly used off label in universities and workplaces. In society, people call this form of off label use of neuroenhancing drugs chiefly two different things: smart drugs informally, and nootropics formally. The word nootropic originated from a Romanian Dr. Corneliu E.

In England, keeping up appearances is paramount (for some) to maintaining social acceptance, and social obligations are held in high esteem. In people with bipolar disorder, these cultural norms seem to be easily converted to neuroses, overt concerns with the opinions of others, and lessened self-esteem as a result of those opinions. In the documentary, for example, Stephen’s sister described his reaction to the less-than-optimal reviews of one of his performances as him having “a hissy fit.” It was also his imagery of his parents looking on while contemplating suicide that prevented him from completing the attempt. 27-year-old Zoe Schwartz was described as being “desperate to be a success,” and a close friend said (regarding her suicide) that “it was her pride [that] killed her.” Even Cordelia Feldman, when asked pointedly, “I mean what’s it say about you if you can’t write?” by her cognitive behavioral therapist Jan Scott of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, was left speechless and emotional in response. When she was able to talk, she replied with what I know to be typically English: “I hate weakness in myself.” Teaching vulnerability, I believe, would therefore be a beneficial addition to CBT in treatment for clients of similar cultural

Although we tend to think that drugs are here to comfort and heal people, we must also take into account that behind every drug, we have a drug company that is making millions of dollars off of consumers who by their products. Behind every consumer, we have a doctor that is recommending and prescribing the medication. In “The Medicated Child,” we learn that the researchers who advocate the use of psychiatric medications, receive enormous support from drug companies. Firsthand doctors inform us that theses drug industry funded studies influence their decisions on what drugs to “push” or prescribe. This is a major conflict of interest because the decisions and results of the studies are

Antidepressant drugs taken by children have been linked to increased risk of suicide. Exasperated mental health professionals began prescribing antidepressants to children and teens in large proportions in the 1990’s, even though studied safety of such drugs for use in minors had not been conducted. Consequently, standard growth models and brain development may be impaired by the use of these drugs. Moreover, children may be risking one evil for another as adult years could prove to hold adverse side effects and health risks from prolonged use of these drugs.

Depression is defined as a mental illness in which a person is experiencing deep sadness and loneliness. It is known as one of the most common mental illnesses and it affects all kinds of people, regardless of sex, age and religion. Many people are not aware that depression is not only diagnosed in adults, but in children and adolescents as well. Therefore, there is a debate about whether children suffering from depression should be allowed to take antidepressants. Antidepressant drugs should be prescribed for children suffering from depression under the conditions of doctors limiting the medication, including therapy and having the parents informed/educated.

eloquent, forceful, realistic, honest, and inspirational. Only those people who watched through their masks of hate can say otherwise. There were many highpoints for me and below are

•Up to one-third of the 3.4 million children and adolescents with depression in the United States may actually be experiencing the early onset of bipolar

A study on the child’s mental health involves the mental functioning and the way a child behaves and responds to some instances of life. The study is done by exploring the physiological process and the neurology of a child. The key areas of study include; concentration, mind functioning, emotions, acuity, character and cognition. There are two processes in a child’s development that needs the attention of the parents; physical and the mental development. This is the time that the parent can be able to determine a child’s with mental or physical challenge. The psychology of the child depends on the development of the mind as well as genetic psychology. Genetic psychology is the study of how factors that affect the genetics can

Dorea Vierling-Claassen is one of the people that Whitaker interviewed, and her story illustrates how this country is focused on diagnosing people with a mental illness instead of seeking other possibilities. Dorea saw the necessity to see a therapist because she cried too much. This is not the main reason why she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but until she experiences trouble sleeping and agitation during finals week in college. At this point, she gets a “prescription for a drug cocktail that included an antipsychotic” (Whitaker, 196). As you may see, Dorea was having just a stressful moment like any other college student, but now she has a diagnosis that would follow her for the rest of her life. Whitaker also interviewed a woman called Monica Briggs. It seems that when she was on an antidepressant called desipramine she could not work. According to Whitaker, “After that initial manic episode she was prescribed a drug cocktail that included an antidepressant, and she spent the next twenty years cycling in and out of hospitals, struggling constantly with depression, manic episodes, and suicidal impulses” (197). Monica experienced what many other bipolar patients experience when they are on

To briefly summarize The Medicated Child, the stories of four children, his or her parents, and the physician explain the troubles medication has had on their children. To start, the first boy, Jacob Soloman was one of millions of young children diagnosed with bipolar. Initially, Jacob was treated for an attention deficit disorder and was first started on medication. But one medication only created another issue forcing Jacob’s parents to give another medication. Although the medication ultimately helps with his mood, Jacob is left with a severe tic.

Bipolar disorder is typically a condition that affects people in their late teens and early adulthood. It is usually not thought to affect a child but it is something that, if present at a young age, can seriously affect the way a child grows up. Bipolar disorder affects every aspect of a person’s life and is not as understood as it should be. Researchers are still looking for the cause of this illness and how it can be treated but overall it is a condition that many people are undereducated on and that is something I’m hoping this paper might be able to change for some.

Currently an alarming rate of expectant mother’s are using illegal drugs and jeopardizing the well-being of the baby and themselves. This issue has become a societal problem.

Bernard Carroll, a former Duke University psychiatry department chairman, stated, “You've got all these young kids running around with this diagnosis (bipolar disorder), yet many of them have never, ever had a manic episode, which is the hallmark of bipolar disorder. Many of these kids have never had anything other than irritability.” Contrary to Dr. Carrol’s statement it is possible to have a form of bipolar disorder, early-onset bipolar disorder, in which the child does not have manic episodes. Per The Bipolar Child, a website meant to educate parents on early-onset bipolar disorder, “The majority of bipolar children experience a much more chronic, irritable course, with many shifts of mood in a day…”. This account proves that children, who are irritable, may have bipolar disorder, and can be diagnosed pending an appointment with a psychiatric specialist. Kelli Montgomery, a woman whose first child was a stillbirth, was told to take antidepressants by her physicians. She immediately attributed this to the doctors thinking that she had a mental disorder, stating, "I had no mental illness. I had never been medicated. I had not even suggested that I was depressed,” but the doctors were simply trying to help her. Per Fourth-Trimester.com, a website that helps grieving mothers, “The risk for depression greatly increases if there is an associated perinatal loss or other trauma.” This statement proves the doctor’s rational in prescribing antidepressants, but Kelli jumped the

As expressed in the documentary, bipolar disorder is a very misunderstood mental illness, and I was surely one of those who truly didn’t understand it. One fact that I learned was how the change from manic states to depressive ones are not easy gentle

It is becoming more recognized and well- known around the world that the mental well-being of one’s parents largely affects the development and or the emotional and mental states of oneself. Research is becoming much more widespread and researchers could make important recommendations on how to intervene in the lives of children with parents suffering from mental illness to best prevent harm to their health and well-being as they grow. It has been found that the most common mental illnesses among people of child-bearing age are anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Most policy however deals with the care of children whose parents must be hospitalized due to their conditions. Much of the current research though aims to show that even those which do not require extreme medical intervention can impact children physically, emotionally, socially, cognitively, etcetera.