The Medicated Child; Part I

I recorded The Medicated Child months ago, but hadn't watched it yet.

Honestly, I was a little afraid to.

The decision to medicate my boys was not an easy one, and I still occasionally second guess myself, even though it is clear that medication is helping them both enormously.

But we are getting a new DVR (because we are getting a new tv and for some reason that I can't quite grasp, the old DVR won't work with the new tv. Nor will the old dvd player. Or the old speakers. Or the old cable....) and so, I will lose everything in my queue.

So I watched it last night and as I suspected, I was a little freaked out. A little shocked. Terribly saddened. Inexplicably angry. And amazingly grateful.

There is an incredibly chilling segment where an angelic looking five year old girl discusses how she would kill her parents.

There is a sixteen year old boy who takes so many medications that he experiences constant and perhaps, irreversible tics.

There is a 4 year old who is dead because of anti-psychotic medications.

I think it's something that's worth watching, even if your children are "normal". Because in the last ten years, there has been a 4000% increase in the number of children diagnosed with and prescribed antipsychotic, mood altering, anti-anxiety and ADD/ADHD drugs.

Four THOUSAND percent. That is absolutely staggering.

Children in the United States are prescribed these drugs 4 times more than children in the rest of world combined.

And your child could be next.

Your child could be diagnosed as learning disabled. Anxious. Moody. Anti-social. Oppositional. Defiant.

I have more to share on the issue of medicating children, but I'll save that for tomorrow.

You can view it online by clicking the link above. Go watch. And watch the 2001 Frontline Program Medicating Kids.

They will change your perspective.