At least six million American children have difficulties that are diagnosed as serious mental disorders, according to government surveys - a number that has tripled since the early 1990s. But there is little convincing evidence that the rates of illness have increased in the past few decades. Rather, many experts say it is the frequency of diagnosis that is going up, in part because doctors are more willing to attribute behavior problems to mental illness, and in part because the public is more aware of childhood mental disorders (NY Times, 2006). According to the US Attorney General, "Mental disorders are characterized by abnormalities in cognition, emotion or mood, or the highest integrative aspects of behavior, such as social interactions or planning of future activities." The process of diagnosing these disorders comes with a great deal of controversy. Before a diagnosis is accepted the practitioner must be able to explain how the behaviors differ from normal developmental behaviors. In Hope's case medical treatment would not be effective in reducing symptoms because her environment never changed. The sexual abuse never stopped and Hope was merely medicated into submission. Once the need for medications for such a young girl reached three the psychiatrist should have started asking other questions. However, since psychiatry categorizes the individual, once labeled, it stops questioning the diagnosis as being potentially 'false' and, thereby, confines treatment to the social standard of normal.

What's Wrong with My Child?

Navigating through the maze of diagnostic information.By Sandra Surace

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Sandra Surace
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-1073-1

Contents

Preface......................................................................XIIIBackground on a Child with Mental Disorder...................................1What You Should Know About The Diagnostic Process............................13Consider All the Facts.......................................................27Have Confidence in What You Know to be True..................................32Be an Independent and Skeptical Observer.....................................38Psychiatry versus Psychology.................................................45Triangulation of Beliefs.....................................................48How Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neurology View Disorders.....................57The Battle of The Sciences...................................................62Two Different Approaches.....................................................67The Impact of Environmental Factors..........................................68Neurology and Mental Illness.................................................76The Autistic Child...........................................................79Behavioral Indicators of Neurological Impairment.............................87Why Is This Important?.......................................................106Distribution of Medication...................................................111When to Medicate?............................................................116Every Parents Worst Nightmare................................................123Drug Addiction On The Rise...................................................130Drugs Approved by the FDA and Off-Label Prescriptions........................138The Role of Insurance Companies in Treatment.................................139Alternatives to Medication...................................................145Working with Symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorder..........................155Working with Symptoms of ADHD................................................168Working with Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder....................................178Working with Symptoms of Schizophrenia.......................................183Working with Conduct Disorder................................................186Working with Symptoms of Intermittent Explosive Disorder.....................189Working with Reactive Attachment and Adjustment Disorder.....................192Tips for Finding a Good Therapist............................................194Working with the School System...............................................197The School Experience........................................................206What Steps Can Parents Take?.................................................225Get a Full Explanation of Behaviors..........................................234Behavioral Modifications.....................................................237When the School Goes Too Far.................................................242Freestyle High: Academy of Communication.....................................246Rights of Parents and Children...............................................248Parental Concerns............................................................266How Parents Can Create Change................................................278Indexed References...........................................................283References...................................................................285

Chapter One

Background on a Child with Mental Disorder

Families and communities, working together, can help children and adolescents with mental disorders. A broad range of services is often necessary to meet the needs of these young people and their families.

United Stated Department of Health and Human Services

Despite the fact that David had symptoms from birth of pervasive developmental delays, in 2003 ADHD was the easiest diagnosis to treat, and was readily covered by insurance. My concerns for his developmental delays were brushed off as neurotic and exaggerated. Despite the fact that he never crawled, did not like to be held, and was socially awkward, the pediatrician did not share my concerns. David's head developed abnormally and he had to be trained to speak using a speech pathologist. His gate was unbalanced and he fell often. His pediatrician never recommended physical occupational therapy for his motor impairments. However, as soon as the school complained about his behavior, the pediatrician was more than happy to prescribe medication.

Often it is the mom who has a concern, because her son, or daughter, is not going through the developmental milestones at the usual pace, and so she is more likely to discuss it with the pediatrician. If the pediatrician is not very knowledgeable about autism, he may tell mom to wait a few months and come back, saying that boys don't always develop as quickly as girls. What ASD's looks like at the different ages and different places on the spectrum is variable. Thus, choosing the right professional is important.

Although all my earlier concerns were ignored, the pediatrician jumped at the chance to treat David's apparent ADHD. The number and dosage of medications changed more than 20 times over the first 18 months and David's behavior only got worse. He began to exhibit additional (iatrongenic) symptoms as a result of the medication that resulted in additional diagnoses. Despite the obvious signs that there were other factors contributing to his behavior, we journeyed down a rabbit hole, chasing medical remedies that never panned out.

David still talks about how traumatized he was by what he experienced during the four-year period during which he was improperly diagnosed and treated. He recounts how he was forced to take medication, he was made to feel abnormal, and blamed for things he had no control over. My experience of him was different than others. He was disorganized, but he would play a game he enjoyed for hours, well after others walked away. He loved a good challenge and enjoyed conversations about very complicated subject matter. He fixated on topics he knew well, so he could actively participate. He was dependent on schedules and highly resistant to change. He required 'exact' answers and did not respond well to abstract thought. He was resistant to alternative viewpoints. He could be too rough and too direct at times. Simply adhering to his needs was exhausting.

The Criteria for Clinical Diagnosis of AD/HD From DSM requested a 4-scale rating of the "degree to which" the following applied without medication:

Lack of attention

Doesn't seem to listen

Doesn't seem to understand and follow instructions

Unorganized

Figdets/squirms/restless

Often talks excessively

Unable to play quietly

Blurts out answers before question is finished

The assumption was that these problems existed at some level distorts and manipulates normal developmental characteristics. Therefore, the developmental delays that I had complained about, such as lack of fine motor skills, were disregarded in favor of normal developmental characteristics. This realization struck me like a rock. How could normal childhood activities be considered so destructive to society that

I had to put my son on drugs that had the potential to dictate my son's entire future, and ultimately...