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Weighing Your Options
An Excerpt From Should I Medicate My Child? Sane Solutions for Troubled Kids With and Without Psychiatric Drugs
By Lawrence H. Diller
. A relative mentioned that many of Jerry's traits fit the profile for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, inattentive type. His mother, Joyce, is concerned that he son needs medical care. Rick, his father, thinks that Jerry is just plain lazy. But Joyce is quick to point out that Rick works a seven-day week, is often on the road and doesn't have the opportunity to notice the subtleties of their son's behavior. For his part, Jerry agrees with his father's diagnosis of laziness. However, he has volunteered that he is willing to take medication. "But it can't have any bad side effects," he declares.
Although Anna and Steven MacAteer agree that their daughter Susie is high energy, they do not report misbehavior from her at home. But the teacher at the private Christian school where Susie is a second grader has been calling Anna nearly every week. Susie drifts away from her work, constantly getting out of her seat to visit the bathroom, chat with her friends or play with the class aquarium. Punishments like missing recess or going to time-out seem to have no effect on her behavior. The teacher thinks that Susie should see a doctor for testing. The tone in her voice makes clear the point behind the suggestion: If Susie doesn't improve soon, she will be asked to leave the school. Anna and Steven do not want their daughter to receive a psychiatric label so early in her life, nor do they like the idea of giving her a drug to improve her behavior. But they aren't sure which is worse: medicating their child for a disorder they're not sure she has or risking expulsion from a school she enjoys.
This book is for parents of children like Brandon, Ruth, Jerry and Susie, who, from toddlers
