[MomwithFive]

Putting children on drugs such as ritalin is horrible and then you are dealing wigth the drug instead of the child.>>

I think this blanket statement is not appropriate. ADD is a real diagnosis and with proper treatment can be manageable. Many children do need proper treatment. Is there over medication in our society? sure but that doesn't mean that every child on ritalin had parents that did an awful thing.

[skyeanjel]

I said that very few children need these medications, meaning that some do but the majority don't, and I stand by that. I do not believe anyone is a horrible parent but I believe alot of parents are misinformed.If you ever listen to any kind of drug commercial, they spend the most air time on all the side effects, which they will then give you another drug to cure and on and on. I prefer to study nutritional benefits of vitamins and food to keep you body and mind healthy. I rarely treat my children with any kind of medication(but I do occasionally). If they have a headache, I give them water first since headaches can be caused by simple dehydration. Stomache problems are generally treated with acidophilus(which is the live bacteria found in yogurt), colds with vitamin c powder etc.
It is amazing how much a childs personality will change if you simply cut out sugar. I would try that first as well as other dietary changes before ever considering drugs such as rital and the others.
I believe that most parents are doing the best they can for their kids and part of that is listening to doctors and therapists who tell you your children need to be on one drug or another that ultimately makes drug companies lots of money since once on these drugs, they are always on one or another. You can see just by reading these threads that parents are having to change meds and are going through hell as their children are having breakdowns. If the meds are so great, why are they always changing them? because they don't work. Again, some children do need them but the rest are overdiagnosed with one disorder or another.

[MomwithFive]

If the meds are so great, why are they always changing them? because they don't work.>>

No, because the same medication will not work the same for every individual. Unfortunately, in the world of psychiatry, prescribing medication can be tough, what works for one does not work for the next person. Our body chemistries are unique.

[sundara]

I would originally have agreed with skyangel that very few kids need medication... and for the first 3 years with my kids this was true. However, when the teen years hit, the secrets of the level of abuse began to come out, along with a lot of behaviors that were not acceptable.

The stories can be scary, and if I had known I would face every issue that we thought we had screened out during our placement, I am not sure I would have gone through with it. (NOT the social workers fault or the kids' fault - they did not tell because they wanted to keep their parents & therefore the SW's did not have the info to share).

However, as a parent, there are never any guarntees, whether with bio kids or adopted kids.

The main difference as I see it is that the behaviors that occur as kids process abuse, adoption, loss of bio family, etc, add a layer to the already difficult teen years - and that layer sometimes causes them to cross the line of what from acceptable behavior to unacceptable behavior.

In our case, bio mom is bipolar, and it appears that several of our kids are as well, on top of having abuse/PTSD issues.

Do I think all psych medicines are horrible and to be avoided at all costs, or conversely, to be given out like candy when you don't like your kid's behavior? No to both. There comes a point, however, when you can no longer ignore that, with certain levels of issues, the kid needs some help medicinally WHILE they go through the healing process.

Do I chose to medicate my kids for my convenience - heck no. For one, it is NOT convenient at all - these are heavily controlled substances that require monthly psychiatrist visits to obtain new prescription orders every 30 days (that expire within 7 days if not filled!), on top of the psychologist visits, meetings with school social workers,etc.

I disagree with classifying all drugs as horrible - they can be VERY helpful in certain situations, but it is not always easy to find the right med for each child, and it is not always easy for the child to understand that the med is in their best interest.

I think many parents of kids with issues (including adopted or not) teach their children that they are responsible for their actions, regardless of the past. However, you cannot just ignore that the past happened - each child DOES need acknowledgement of the hurts that occurred, and does need time to heal. This is NOT an excuse for their behavior (though they really like to use it as one). It is a parent's (and therapist's) job to help teach them the difference - which often takes years (which is why childhood is sooooo long!!)