"The Medicated Child" this Tuesday on PBS | ADHD Information

Thanks so much. I'm still struggling with my decision of putting my mild ADHD son on meds.

I TIVOed it so I will be able to watch it in peace!!!I will watch it.  My dd is on Strattera and has made her a little more aggressive.  But, has taken care of her hyper activity and inattentiveness. I will watch. I went to the website and was disappointed to see taht many of the posters there bashed the parents for not trying to change their kids' diets first. Ugh. My kids eat plenty of healthy foods like whole grains, fruits and veggies, etc. but they do like Cheetos and other junk foods, which they eat in moderation. So, since they eat jun food at all and I am overweight (one poster mentioned that moms of special needs kids tend to be fat), does that mean it's all my fault that I have ADHD kids???? NO, I don't believe that!! I look healthy and eat very well and I still have hypertension. We need all kinds of people in this world, not only all kinds of shapes but personalities, so we have super skinny and not so skinny, and we have ADHD and nonADHD. That is how the world is made. Please don't be so hard on yourself, you are trying the best you can.

What a gross generalization to say that special needs kids have moms who tend to be fat.  For one, I am underweight at the moment- just got reamed out by my doctor for not gaining the 5 pounds he told me to.   There's also the fact that there is a very large percentage of overweight people in the US- nothing to do with special needs kids (although they may make you want to eat more if stress sends you to the cookie jar). 

I don't know that diet has anything to do with Bipolar.  My step- sis was dx'ed w/BP in her late teens, after nearly 6 years of serious problems and a couple suicide attempts.  Sure, she does better when she eats right and exercises, but no more than any of us do.  It's the meds that keep her stable.

I wish I gotten a chance to see the show- I did read through what they have on the website and I have to say that I think they definetely need to study the issue further.  The thing that makes me uncomfortable is the lack of consensus about the diagnostic criteria for children.  

I am not overweight either, it's a ridiculous statement.

jaderock, I do think Frontline is airing it other times this week, if you really wanted to see it, you cold look at your guide. I beleive it was on more than once. We have no bipolar in our families, but I found the show interesting.

Thanks Diane, I'll check- I really would be interested to see it.

Here is a website where you can watch the entire show; I missed it when it aired, but just got through watching it online - gee, I love the internet!!! 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/medicatedchild/

Just to add my two cents, I thought the program was just okay. I hate to sound like such a skeptic but since my husband is a scientist and a medical school professor I have seen first hand how information can be manipulated.  I know my husband is very hestitant to particpate in programs (even PBS) because of their need to make a "story." Many very good experts in a variety of fields are very careful because their words can be used so out of context.

Having said that I recorded the program and I am having my husband watch it to get his opinion.  He is not involved in the field of mental health but he has a good sense about how information is presented.

One example that comes to my mind is the fairly recent episode of Oprah that dealt with children with autism. All the children profiled on her show had pretty severe autism. Those children were not the complete picture of autism in children. I felt she was very irresponsible in not profiling or at least talking about the entire spectrum. She never even talked about the less severe cases.

thanks for the reminder. usually frontline is pretty thorough. med issues are always tough to deal with but we never regreted put our child on them. Thanks for the reminder, we intend to watch it. 

 

It's not easy to give a balanced perspective on a topic like this...Has Frontline done it with this program, or just "stirred the pot"? I'm curious what you think after viewing it....

Here's some stuff I've copied from the rollout for this program:

THE MEDICATED CHILD