Dear FRONTLINE,

After watching the program I found myself saddened and enraged.I was mis-diagnosed at a young age (13) with Bipolar. I was subsequently put on a barrage of medications. Later I was diagnosed as Borderline Personality Disorder and put on another barrage of meds in addition to meds for the Bipolar.

Since that time, as an adult, they've found that I have a high functioning form of autism which was missed repeatedly by mental health professionals in their haste to "control symptomology".

I am currently med free, mostly due to a dramatic shift in my diet and awareness of autistic brain function. Symptoms are now minimal.

Sorry...lack of enough physical exercise and diets loaded with chemicals, additives and pesticides is enough to make ANYONE function at less than the optimum, let alone kids who are slightly off of the mythical "norm" that everyone seems to be chasing.

Siobhan McElwee
Fairbanks, Ak

Dear FRONTLINE,

A note from the producers said, "The focus of this piece was on the growing practice of prescribing medication to children with behavior problems. . . The best outcomes are produced through a combination of drugs AND therapy." And?! And one more thing--nutrition!

Maybe Frontline could look into those anecdotal success stories about vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and amino acids. They might be baby steps for a great leap forward.

"Not enough research" is the cautionary reply to those who have only anecdotal reports. But how do new approaches happen? From anecdotes and anomalies! They suggest new directions for research and lead to unexpected answers.

Once there was a rule that matter could not become energy and vice versa. Along came one little anomalous idea, e=mc2, and that rule was (eventually) tossed out.

Bucky Fuller liked to talk about well-placed leverage translating a small amount of energy into a large amount of change. He said, "There's a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trim tab. It's a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. . . . You can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to [change direction]."

The families who try alternative and holistic nutrition for their children might be trim tabs. Epidemiological studies show that certain foods have sustained magnificent health in whole cultures for millennia. The other side of the coin is research showing that the lower a person's DHA and EPA, the higher the risk of mental illness. Same goes for vitamin D deficiency. And, as Linus Pauling found, same goes for vitamin C. Magnesium and B6 have shown benefits. There are other nutrients waiting to be researched.

They might have a long wait. These approaches wouldn't be `profit centers' for pharmacological corporations, hence there is no funding for large double blind, cross-over trials. Until land grant universities and NIMH throw more money at these ideas, they will stay in the realm of anecdote, with the only proof being all those centuries of results.

Lauren Ayers
Sonoma, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

I went online and read some of the heart wrenching accounts of the mothers on your website but cannot believe that there isn't a common cause or scenario to this epidemic. I suggest that a data base be established where these mothers can log all their recollections on any prenatal and/or post birth conditions, situations and diet no matter how insignificant it might seem. Such an effort could possibly uncover a common cause or two that could point to better treatment and to educate and forewarn future parents.

One obvious candidate for possible cause is diet. It also did not escape my notice that every mother depicted on this program was overweight, thus indicating a diet versus activity imbalance. Our society has an epidemic problem with obesity. Our farmers are very productive producing an abundance of food, our food industry creates many delicious entrees, and our ad agencies are expert in convincing us to eat, eat and eat. Because we're economically and politically stressed it's easy to seek out pleasure and comfort in eating. However, by reading the ingredients in what we eat, knowing that more of our food is imported, and our government is inspecting less if it, I suspect that we don't have to look too far from what we eat to determine the cause of this epidemic afflicting our children.

Robert Fabio
tucson, az

Dear FRONTLINE,

My name is Caitlyn and I am a nineteen year old college student living in Northern California. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of eleven. I am writing this to share my story with any parents who are considering medicating their children. I don't want to discourage anyone from doing what is best for their children, because I know that medication can truly help some people, but I would like everyone to understand exactly what can happen from someone who has experienced it first hand.

Before I was diagnosed, I had had behavioral issues from a very young age, beginning around the time that my parents divorced when I was three. My mother remarried a year after that to a man who psychologically and sometimes physically abused her and I. My reactions to the situations I saw at home were to act out at school, and I was moved to multiple schools throughout my elementary life, mostly for behavior problems. My mother at this time was almost non-existent; her life revolved around her husband and her mental illness prevented her from seeing the problems that this caused in me and changing them. My father was always somewhat distant and spent much of his time working or traveling around the state to visit family and friends.

My mother divorced her abusive husband when I was ten years old, and very soon after began to seek psychological help dealing with the divorce. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder that manifested itself in uncontrolled shopping sprees, frequent unplanned vacations, and deep depressions that left her bedridden for days. Soon after that she began to "see" signs of the illness in me. I entered puberty at a young age which caused frequent hormonal mood swings in me.

I remember one day my mother took me to a psychologist who talked to me for about twenty minutes, in which I described to him how I was feeling with school and the divorce, and the constant flux I felt throughout recent days and months. My mother talked to him for the other forty minutes of our sessions, at the end of which I was asked to fill out a twenty question true-or-false questionnaire. The questions where so ridiculous, any adolescent would have answered true to the same questions I did. But I after ward I was promptly diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed a daily dose of a popular anti-depressant. At a regular checkup a few months later, I was told I should be put on birth control to help with my heavy periods and intense hormonal mood swings. All of this at eleven.

In the next few years my mother and siblings and I moved away from my home town to northern California where I entered high school. High school was difficult for me, partly because I was new and partly because I was much more advanced than the classes I was given. And in my sophomore year my father was sent to fight in the war in Iraq. I became very depressed again and my new psychiatrist began to prescribe me various "cocktails" of drugs to help with this. For seven years I was on and off these cocktails of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, anti-schizophrenics, anti-epileptics, anti-insomnias, and any other drugs that may "help" with my disorder.

Being a teenager and labeled as crazy was the most difficult thing that I have ever experienced. I also experienced the full gamut of side effects; the drugs that I was put on made me physically ill sometimes, more deeply depressed and even suicidal at other times. Some drugs made me even more manic, and I would react by taking illicit drugs to calm myself(marijuana) or add to my hype(cocaine). Over and over this happened and yet my situation never changed. I never got better.

I finally became fed up with feeling ill and feeling crazy. I didn't want to hurt myself and my friends and family anymore or damage my body with drugs that aren't fully understood by the people that were giving them to me. So I stopped. I said no to pharmaceuticals. I moved out of my mothers house, began taking good care of my body and getting acupuncture every week to balance my emotions.I also see a psychologist on a weekly basis who has informed me that, in her professional opinion, I am not, nor was I ever manic depressive. I have now been pharmaceutical free for two years and I am close to graduating early, I have a job and productive friends and relationships.

My story isn't unique or unusual in anyway except for the fact that I chose a different way. There are always so many ways of looking at any mental illness and a chemical imbalance is only one. The decision of my mother to put me on medications at such a young age changed my life in a way that can never be taken back. I will never have those years back that I spent struggling to find the right pills. And I may never have exposed myself to the illegal drugs that I had if I hadn't been so used to altering my consciousness already.

I struggle with the loss of my childhood and adolescence and with my misdiagnosis every day which is why I wrote my story for all to see, because as an adult now, I can tell you honestly that it doesn't work for every one. For parents, please give your children all the love and attention and respect you can as you raise them, and if they do have issues, please explore all your options before medicating them, because as easy as it seems it may actually end up doing more harm than good.

Caitlyn Balderama
Sebastopol, California

Dear FRONTLINE,

The pseudoscience demonstrated by "Brain Matters Inc." was appalling. How could the "social worker" shown in the piece interpret the scans and diagnose the patient? Isn't that practicing medicine without a license? It was reassuring to read that the company has gone out of business.

Also, the psychiatrist from Stanford demonstrated the plight of clinical research today. As the piece so well pointed out, much of clinical research is carried out with the support of and under the control of the pharmaceutical industry. How is one to trust the claims and believe the data of such researchers? I don't believe that the posting of the investigators' conflicts removes them. We, as a country, should be willing to have the government pay for such research.

St. Louis, MO

Dear FRONTLINE,

I developed symptoms of depression as an adolescent, but did not seek treatment from a doctor until I was 32. I had some brief dealings with therapists in College, but those experiences were severely counter-productive. I found several tendencies among doctors that I had to guard against in order to get care I considered reasonable. I saw those same trends in your report. ...

It took me 16 years to find an effective treatment for my depression, that time was extended by the lack of insurance coverage available in this country and the extremely high cost of care. Since childhood is so brief, I would hope that eveyone proceeds with caution and ignores the advice of amateurs, like teachers and social workers, and gets multiple opinions before subjecting their children to chemicals that will alter their brain development in unknown and unknowable ways.

As a side note, the sales job done by the rep at Brain Matters was so slick and well-scripted it belongs ina boiler room telemarketing operation, not a medical office.

David Robkin
Los Angeles, CA

Dear FRONTLINE,

First, let me state that I know mental illness is real, debilitating, and usually requires medication of some sort. It frightens me, however, to know how quickly the diagnosis and prescriptions are made. My experience is as an adult, not a child; but that makes this even more frightening to me.I was initially diagnosed as cyclothymic at age 29, and the prescriptions started. The symptoms got worse, the diagnosis became atypical bi-polar disorder, and more drugs were added. As symptoms and side effects grew, they added an anxiety disorder and schitzoid tendancies, and piled on even more drugs. At one point, I was taking 17 different drugs.During a stay at a mental hospital, however, I finally met a psychiatrist who asked questions beyond the basic symptoms. We then discovered that I had been mis-diagnosed the entire time. I have schitzo-affective disorder, which is not treatable by drugs. After weaning off all those medications, most of my side-effects went away; but some are permanent. It has taken me years to regain some equilibrium in my life, and to be able to think reasonably clearly. I also have a period of about seven years for which my memories are, at best, few and foggy. I am now 44, and am finally beginning to live again.I am not a stupid person - I have been a member of Mensa since age 15. These mis-diagnosis issues can happen to anyone.

Please, be sure of the diagnosis, and seek a second or third opinion, before you subject these delicate young brains to this type of treatment!

Cynthia Berry
Airdrie, AB, Canada

Dear FRONTLINE,

I related to what I saw tonight. As a child I had many similar qualities. My family opted to treat my conditions with natural methods. I saw a therapist, naturopath, and held a strict diet of no sugar, home made food and garden produce. I can only thank them for never putting me on meds. It took almost 20 years to fully outgrow many of my characteristics. I still battle with some of them. My husband on the other hand was put on meds at an early age. He still battles with his numerous diagnoses and the balancing act of mixing medications. I fear for our child, but hold true to my own results. The human body has an amazing ability to heal itself if given the proper ingrediants of tools. If only more parents could look from outside the box their in. They might see the many options surrounding them, besides just medicating their children.

Chelsea Treharne
Portland, Oregon

Dear FRONTLINE,

As the issues presented in this report are extremely sensitive for a number of reasons, I wish to qualify this posting by stating that I wish no offense to anyone. The children and families portrayed tonight are an appropriate depiction of what we as a nation struggle with daily. As an experienced professional in health care, child care, and the private sector, I was extremely affected by this report and wanted to share my reactions, which are as follows:

1) Our familial and social boundaries are breaking down to the point that children are subjected to violence, sexuality, and other cultural phenomenons in popular media that are normally relegated to adults. Children do not have the emotional capacity to understand and process this material in the same manner and are adversely affected by this type of media.

2) Parents turn to therapy when they don't know how to care for their children. Families need have access to alternatives to medications such as those that have been described in this report, such as basic nutrition, communication techniques, and how to bolster self-confidence in their children.

3) Children ages 1.5 to 3 years of age are experiencing, for the first time, what it is like to have an identity. In this phase, it is normal for kids to act out, assert their identities, and test their parents' (and their own) boundaries.

4) Psychiatrists, like most doctors, are influenced by the $643 billion (in 2006) global pharmaceuticals industry. The US consumes nearly half of the total manufactured pharmaceuticals; however, we do not comprise nearly half of the world's population, but we do have the highest GDP in the world.

5) As reported, pediatric bipolar disorder is heavily influenced by major pharmaceutical companies in the research and development sector. The doctors themselves state this in the report, and anyone will test positive for psychotic conditions of some sort or another if they are tested. Whether a human being should be medicated is more a matter of whether or not they are able to function in society; do other children care about whether another 4-year-old is throwing a tantrum, or is is the adults that think it improper for children to experience "growing pains"?

5) As mentioned, a diet saturated with processed foods and sugars will lead to numerous health problems. Even though more than 60% of US citizens qualify as obese, the majority of mothers on this show were very much overweight-- and how do most children get sustenance???? As suggested, families should encourage a diet rich in whole foods, including any whole grains that are not white like non-instant oatmeal (it takes five minutes vs. one), brown rice, quinoa, and bulgar; whole proteins like lean meats and beans; and a variety of dark and leafy green vegetables including broccoli, kale, chard, zucchini, spinach, and brussel sprouts. It is extremely difficult to change one's diet, and even more difficult to change an entire family's, but simple changes can make drastic improvements.

6) We live in an age where the possibilities for education abound; the Internet provides an abundance of information on virtually any subject. In my opinion (and this is solely my own), parents should be responsible for educating themselves on the wellbeing of their children.

Portland, OR

Dear FRONTLINE,

I don't know how old this report is, I just saw it tonight April 8, 2008. My heart goes out to you Mrs. Koontz and your son and anyone else who is trying to find answers to what seems like an epidemic. Please listen to my story. I noticed a change in my son, Darin, when he was about 3 years old. Couldn't sit long for anything - to eat, watch TV, car ride, etc. No attention span whatsoever, you get the picture.

I was single at the time & relatives would tell me "It's the way your raising him." I married a wonderful man when Darin was 5 years old (most guys didn't stick around after meeting my son) who adopted Darin. No, that didn't help his behavior - still getting bad reports from his Day Care. When he started Kindergarten it wasn't long before I was called to the school with behavioral problems. Not just the sitting still or not listening, but running around the room, across the tables, throwing things at the other children - on & on. When Darin threw some beans in the teachers face it was the last straw. It was "You do something. Take him to the Doctor for A.D.D. (that's what it was called back then) & get him on pills or he will be kicked out of Kindergarten! We took him to his Pediatrician, he did some tests, then abruptly told me "He does not have A.D.D. & does not need medication." The way he told me was like we were the ones who wanted him on the medication. We didn't know what to do. Some how we heard about a Doctor who had a cookbook out for hyperactive children. To get to the point, we bought the book "The Feingold Cookbook for Hyperactive Children", he was strictly put on the diet and after about 6 - 8 weeks, to detoxify, we had a totally different boy. He stayed on the diet strictly during the school year. Sometimes we experimented in the summer, but it wouldn't take but a couple of days & his behavior changed. He was on the diet until he was about 10 years old. In the book it said they would out grow it. That was 29 years ago & Darin is a productive human being, married with 4 children. I thank God we heard about the book. Believe me, we also heard from relatives about "How mean we were to restrict so much from Darin". So you can't listen to negativity. We had a daughter who had no problems whatsoever.

I'm not saying this is a cure all, but would it hurt to try something along with the meds then gradually lower dosages and see what happens? I read through some of the letters & another book was mentioned by Rita Elkins "Solving the Depression Puzzle". The Feingold diet isn't in print anymore, but you can get a copy by going to Amazon.com. Click on "books". In the Search it will show "books" then just type in Feingold then click Go. There's also another book he put out "Why Your Child is Hyperactive". Yes, I know your child wasn't diagnosed with being hyper, but think about it, my experience was 29 years ago - the word "hyperactive" was fairly new - numerous children are on the ADHD medication - now the diagnoses is getting more serious, Bipolar! I beg you to read these books, there are more out there I'm sure. Doesn't it make sense for Doctors and Pharmaceutics to push meds? It's not about a "diet", it's about doing everything a parent can do to help their child. You may find it doesn't do any good, but what if it does? I am speaking to any parent with this problem. The books are out there, but there are those who don't want parents to believe.

I am a firm believer that artificial additives and some other ingredients are hurting our children. I'm not a health food nut, I have no will power myself. I would love to hear from you or anyone who would like to chat with me about this. Email me at farmer.carol@sbcglobal.net

Carol Farmer
Muskogee, Oklahoma

Dear FRONTLINE,

The one certain piece of information that I took from your program is that the beginning of a chemical regimen is the point-of-no-return. This may lead to some conditioned positive effects, but it also results in a complete forfeit of knowledge about how that child would have developed naturally. That is important because no one can ever know if we are adversely influencing the unique brain development and distinct experiences of our children that have resulted in all the varied and dynamic generations of people that have existed prior to the past few decades.

Paul Quayle
Baltimore, Maryland

Dear FRONTLINE,

Dear Frontline, I watched the show tonight with my 10 year old son, Christopher. As an infant, he was diagnosed with developmental delays and was diagnosed at 6 yrs old with ADHD with lingering symptoms of Childhood Autism. His school insisted that he go on medication since pre-school but I refused until his rages started getting really violent. I was pregnant (high risk due to Lupus)and feared that he would hurt himself. It was horrible. He started with Aderall and within 24 hours, he had a total psychotic episode. He collapsed in the living room and begged God to kill him. I could beleive it, my 6 yrs wanting to die. I immediately stopped the medication. I was reluctant to try again but trying to help my son function normally, I tried again. This time it was Respidal. He adjusted well for about 6 months. I was so happy to see his improvement in school and at home. Our neurologist had his blood tested every 6 months to check for abnormalities. After 6 months on the Respidal, Chris had seriously increased his levels of Prolactin (Hormone). This could cause serious medication complications so we stopped the medication immediately. Now back to square one, we tried one more. This time Abilify 2x daily. It has worked in keeping the rages down and the depression but not completed. Now my son is 10 years old and going through puberty since 8. Every couple of months, he has a period were he gets worse but I refuse to increase his medication or add on new ones. At 8 yrs, he began suffering from seizures whenever he was ill (fever). Of course he was prescribed an anti seizure medication, Depokote. He had a horrible time with this medication. Within 2 weeks, he started having depression and going into a semi-catatonic state at school. He would crawl ont he floor and bark and make other animal sounds. I immediately stopped all medications. I decided to get him therapy. He has had very little improvement with the therapy alone so I put him back on the Abilify that had helped him for almost 3 years. He now has one medication, therapy on a weekly basis and we have gone very strict at home. He has to work for anything he wants at home. Wheither it be a game or permission to go somewhere, he has to do chores and tasks to earn what he wants. It is slowly helping put him in a more controled state. He feels better when he earns something and helps his self-esteem which is a major problem. Another very big thing that helped my son gain some control for himself and better his life was the Cub Scouts. He joined the scouts at 7 years and is now 3 years in the program. He was improved so much and has earned countless awards. He focuses alot of his attention to the scouts and keeps his school work in check as best as he can because he knows that he wants to continue in the scouts. Our agreement is that he maintain schoolwork and tries his best to behave and he can have the scouts. This has helped us alot to separate what it his behavioral problems that we can control and what is caused by his condition. I can better tell what is going on with him and can therefore help/guide him better. He used to be afriad of everything and have panic attacks around any circumstances that frightened him. We our now a scouting family, I am in my 2nd year as a Den Leader followign my son through the ranks. We have done so many things without fear of attacks that he has honestly had a better life in the last years. We go camping, travel to foreign countries and try new things like swimming. My son is not perfect and I love him with all my heart no matter what the future holds for us. I dont blame parents that medicate their children because as much as I tried to avoid it, I too had to make that decision. But I stood my ground when it came to the bombardment of medications given to my son. I limited it to one useful medication and any issue not resolved by the medication, I worked with therapy to address behavior management. This is not so easy for all parents and children so I thank God that for now, this is working for him. I pray that he will not get worse because he has always been a sensitive, giving child who totally worships his baby sister. She is now 3 yrs and does not exhibit any problems. He insists that she was a gift from God. Givent o him to help him get through his difficult times. I think thats through as she seems to be the only person that can calm him when he gets depressed or has an occasional fit/tantrum. He uses his love for her to calm him. To all the families going through these difficult times, you are in prayers. To all those that insist that our children have no problems but behavioral problems, I do not wish the pain that my family and others throughout the world endure on them. It is not a normal behavior problem when a parent cannot sleep because they have to watch their 6 year old out of fear they might commit suicide. I had to watch my son at times because he used to stand in the middle of the night in front of his 3rd floor window and beg for someone to throw him out of the window at 6 years old. This is not normal and this is not simple behavior. I pray for all of us.

Carol Padilla
Bayside, New York

Dear FRONTLINE,

I am the parent of a son who was born with a surplus of energy. When he started school, I started school, too, with daily visits to the principal's office. After three years of bad behavior and recommendations to medicate, I took my son out of school and took back control of his life. He was relentless, but I only had to last one more minute than he did. I kept him at home until he started college. Today he is a well-respected police officer involved in motorcycles and helicopters and the training of canines. Was it easy? Not on your life! Dealing with these kids is WORK, but I was more afraid of the drugs than I was of the work.

There is so much more here than meets the eye. As someone has already mentioned/questioned here, childhood has definitely changed (You might be interested in a book called "The Hurried Child"). Our children are cooped up in a classroom all day, with little to no opportunity to burn off their energy. They don't even get the exercise of walking to and from school. Then when they get home they watch tv and play video games and do homework and eat snacks. No chance to work off any physical energy, and then they "can't sleep" simply because they have done nothing to tire them out. There is nothing like fatigue to put a kid to sleep.

I do not dispute that mental illness exists, but I submit that it is exceedingly over-diagnosed. I am beginning to believe that mental illness is a luxury indulged in by a society who has too much. This sort of problem doesn't seem to exist in parts of the world where people actually have to worry about their survival.

Also, I wish someone would take note of the correlation between the rise of all of these mental illnesses with the wholesale vaccinating of our entire population, including very young children and newborns. We might be amazed.

Copperas Cove, Texas

Dear FRONTLINE,

I am a forty year old, professional woman who was recently diagnosed with bi-polar II. I have lived with all of the typical issues: mania, mood swings, erratic behavior and major depression since my early teens.

Over the years I learned to "suck it up", "behave," and call in sick for "migraines." In spite of my feelings of seclusion and frequent despair, my manias gave me enough extra energy over the years to become very accomplished in my field. Now my depression episodes are overtaking the highs in frequency and strength and I find myself totally unequipped to deal with this disorder. My entire life and sense of self has been built on a false sense of grandiosity (as WebMD puts it.) I am having to relearn how to function as an adult. The truth is that I feel as though I am unable to function on the high level I used to when I had the manias. I MISS the manias because they were how I succeeded but, I cannot continue the cycle of depression that inevitably follows.

What is my point? I believe that if I had been diagnosed in the earlier stages of life I would have developed the skills to live as an adult with bipolar. If there had been medication around when I was a child I would have been grateful for the opportunity to develop with skills and a self image that was based on a stable version of myself (instead of either Superwoman or the girl hiding in the closet.) Now I face a difficult process with huge adjustments at a time when I am responsible to earn for my family, be a good mother and maintain my professional standing. Since I feel I got to where I am based on my manias I am seriously worried about my future with only "part" of who I grew up as available.

Bipolar Disorder was unheard of when and where I grew up. Today's parents are able to help their children prepare for life in the real world. Some parents can understand the unbearable feelings attached to this disorder and how it affects a person's development.

Just as a parent wouldn't stand by and watch their asthmatic child struggle for air, I believe they shouldn't stand by and watch their bipolar child struggle for peace. Based on my experience, if my son were diagnosed I would be grateful to work with a trusted professional who could help my son prepare to live in the "real world" as he matures. The "real world" doesn't stop and wait while you figure it out...

Near Philadelphia, New Jersey

Dear FRONTLINE,

This is such an incredibly difficult issue and I really sympathize with the parents who are going through the scary process of coping with a child with mental illness. Yet despite the fact that medication eases symptoms, how can you be sure that it is truly helping? Or that some other, more lasting treatment couldn't be just as effective?

Although some parents have taken proper precautions before placing their children on medication, and have tried other treatments, many parents haven't. And I also must ask to those who have, how long did you give any one of those therapeutic method a try? Medication is so fast-acting which makes it much easier to observe, test and tolerate. But behavioral and environmental techniques can take a tremendous amount of time and patience. I guess I am not convinced that these other avenues are given enough time before resorting to pharmaceuticals. I know many parents say they have tried everything, but for how long?

Also, as many of you have mentioned, it is an extreme (and sometimes devastating) decision to have to put one's child on medication. Why aren't parents inclined to go into very intensive therapy programs? If the problem is so intense that other some alternative therapeutic methods aren't working, why do people just up the dosage rather than upping the therapy (behavioral or otherwise)? Anyone who is put on medication is going to have a behavioral/emotional change, regardless of whether they an actual mental illness. But other interventions may take more time to show the effects.

I understand what people are saying about a child needing to be calm enough in order to make behavioral changes. But what about the times in which the child IS behaving acceptably without the use of medication, couldn't those opportunities be taken advantage of to do behavioral/emotional modification?

In some instances medication is actually trading one mental illness for another. In the easing of symptoms, there are side-effect and in a developing child, these can lead to other mood disorder that may have more permanence than when an adult takes medication.

Also relating to the bipolar diagnosis. The DSM criteria is NOT meant to be applied to children. What is normal for an adult is not the same as normal for a child. I was particularly struck by the segment that covered delusions of grandeur (in Jessica), CHILDREN IMAGINE, they repeat things they hear on TV, they says irrational/fantastical things, AND THAT IS NORMAL! They have imaginary friends for instance, are we about to say they are hallucinating and therefore schizophrenic!? This is just one example of how unfitting a bipolar diagnosis is for children. Many of the criteria are very normal behaviors for a child. I do not doubt that these children may have some condition that needs to be treated, but I strongly believe that BIPOLAR is not that condition.

Also, even if medication is truly deemed necessary (which I believe sometimes it is) why does there seem to be a complete neglect of other factors? If a child has horrible rages, should biology and medication be the only thing that is attended to? Even if not primary, environmental/social factors contribute an incredibly amount to any disorder. Just because there are brain scans that determine a child's brain functioning to be out of the normal range does not mean that medication is the only way to regulate the brain. Repeated experiences and behaviors changes the way a person's brain functions. I think many people's understanding of science does not accommodate for this fact.

This is an extremely complicated issue. Sometimes medication is necessary but these medications NEED TO BE tested on children before they are administered to them.

Kristin Davis
Eugene, Oregon