Blog Naked: Frontline: The Medicated Child
November 4th, 2009
Having five channels of Public Broadcasting available is WAY cool. In the past I used to have to wait after searching local listings for something to come up a day later. Now, PBS with multiple local broadcasts in HDTV seperates things in groups, like NEWS< WORLD, CREATE, or John Fogherty on “Live On Request”, where he himself offers to interact with viewers.
I’m half naked in the living room, so this counts for Blogging Naked. Just sayin’.
It’s also the only place that offers both BBC World and Aljazeer reporters getting their hands dirtier on site in the stories away from anchor desks.
I just got done watching The Medicated Child, an episode of Frontline that’s put together by WGBH in Boston. It offered some perspective of what parents go through dealing with their children with behavioral disorders and varied mental illness symptoms specific to ADHD and Bipolar Disorder.
While this subject is an extremely difficult one to approach without bias by any party, it’s important that all proponents, opponents, and recipients of new upcoming health care practice do so respectfully. We’re still in the dark ages of this science and medical field. The extend of the damage towards children and their families ranges from the death of a child on one side as well as children removed from their homes for proactive or declined medication management of children.
Being a parent of children with symptoms more manageable, as well as recovering from Bipolar Disorder myself, this episode caused me to lose it emotionally at it’s close. The sense of hopelessness displayed by parents still very apparent regardless of the fronts put on.
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Though I haven’t seen the show in question, I do know more than I ever wanted to know about ADHD, Behavioural Disorders in Children, Anxiety Disorders, OCD, Depression and other Mental Health Issues affecting kids and teens. You’re aware of that, I know.
I’ve argued both sides of the medication issue and there’s never a ‘pat’ cut and dried answer that fits everyone the same. Diet can also play a huge role in managing any of these disorders and issues and should always be explored before going to meds, but if it’s a case of no life or no quality of life without meds, I say try meds…. carefully.
Frankly, one of my children wouldn’t have the life they have now if it wasn’t for meds they received as a child. Another of my kids could’ve been spared a lot of hell if meds that later proved to make a difference, were used several years earlier than they were. The reason? Those meds weren’t approved for use in anyone under 18. They almost didn’t make it to 18 as a result.
No one can understand what it’s like when a parent has to come to terms with not really thinking their child might ever make it to adulthood. I quite understand why you got emotional at this program. I probably would too.
No one can make those choices but the people involved and it’s time for society to stop making judgements about things they aren’t living through themselves.
I’d be interested in watching the show… is it available again that you know of?
The link at the bottom goes to the specific show’s accompanying web page, and they have a “Watch It Now” link that goes to a nine minute condensed version. WGBH has always been a prominent PBS contributor, they put out ZOOM when I was a kid.
…I made my first purse out of an old pair of jeans for my mom because of that show.
Myself, I wasn’t personalizing on my own kids ‘getting to 18′. More on quality of life and pursuits if I didn’t get their medical care on track in time, just to be able to do a decent job parenting to give them a hoping chance.
When I watched that video, I connected with one of the female parents talking about her 13 year old daughter…a med change, puberty, all kinds of things that could be normal or just amplified by either med dosages or hormones, let alone their environment.
She was looked like the spark had been sucked out of her, that was what affected me the most. For me, as long as there is life…there is still hope, and happiness regardless.
Trust me, I have my self pity parties…but again, seeing parents getting that low…really hard moment.
As for you, you’re my superherowoman. I can say that, this is my blog. Might even forgive you for being Ca…oops, almost said it!
Sorry.
“looked like the spark had been sucked out of her”
Yeah, but it’s only ADHD/ODD/OCD/GAD/etc…. it’s not cancer or something real, so why don’t we all just suck it up and smile because other people have the real hardships…
You know, that is what so many people think.
And you… you live a pretty sheltered life if I’m your superherowoman. And a Ca… even! For shame.
No, I used to lead a sheltered life. They threw me out ’cause I started uproars. (giggle snort)
“It’s all in their mind. They’re just lazy!”
Truth be told there’s a number of co-existing physical ailments that come about due to sedentary lifestyles due to mental illness.