How fucked up is this??

[zallia]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_on_he_me/psychotic_drug

Okay, first of all, wasn't there some kind of code of ethics where they wouldn't even diagnose a person with a psychiatric disorder until they were 18? I mean, I do believe some people are just born wrong or evil, but for bipolar for that age group? Kids are nuts when they go through puberty! I think most kids act like their bipolar from 6th-12th grade, because that's just what growing up and hormones and everything does to you. But I guess it goes along with all those parents who put their kids on ADD medication cause god forbid, they act like kids and they actually have to do some parenting. Plus, these drugs carry a lot of heavy, bad side effects. Plus, it's altering the brain's chemistry, and what's that going to do to a brain that's still forming? Man, this just has me so grossed out.

Comments

[snarky-imp.livejournal.com]

I can sort of see the schizophrenic bit, but doesn't it take an act of God, a miracle, and a lightning strike to get someone diagnosed as such? But the bipolar thing is definitely scary. I'm sure there are some kids who would definitely be helped by it, and for them, yeah, maybe though that's mostly because I'm all for there being an exception to every rule. But in general, this has disaster written all over it.

[zallia.livejournal.com]

It would be a different story if they just gave it to the people who actually needed it. But my previous job was a case manager for the developmentally disabled and sometimes when they'd "act out" and get put on these kind of drugs and it was scary to see. Just total zombies, or other drastic health concerns that were worse than what was getting fixed. I mean, if you watch Supernanny, a lot of those kids look like psychos, but once they instill some freaking rules and discipline, they even out and stop acting out for attention. I just worry that this will get thrown at kids to fix any behavioral problems rather than looking at environmental causes for such behavior.

Oh and welcome to my livejournal! Thanks for the discussion! :D

[wyrmis.livejournal.com]

Mood altering drugs are way over-used. In five years, kids with imaginary friends are going to be taking this drug, too, most likely.

I note, though, that the article looks like "product ad disguised as news". Reads very much like a copy and pasted press release with a few words changed.