The bipolar/Ritalin Scandal

The Real Biederman Scandal

By Jacob Azerrad, PhD

 The real scandal perpetrated by Biederman has nothing to do with his consulting fee shenanigans and everything to do with the real life (and death) consequences of the methods now used by modern pediatric psychiatry to tag normal childhood behaviors with diagnoses – like “childhood bipolar” -- and the pediatric medical profession’s complicit acquiescence to such malarkey.
  It has been nothing short an epic assault on our children by those who prescribe antipsychotic medications as an antidote to normal childhood behavior

 The result: a generation of parents looking for -- and given access to -- quick fixes for run-of-the-mill behavior issues, drugged out toddlers prescribed into submission, and drug companies whose top class of drug by revenue ($14.5 billion in 2009) is antipsychotics.  Drugs like Risperdal, Trileptal, and Clonidine are among those which fall into this class and the long term effect of their use in toddlers is dangerously unknown.  Their immediate side effects, however, are well documented and include drooling, ticks and excessive weight gain. 

 Many remember Rebecca Riley, the Hull, MA, toddler whose death in 2004 made headlines.  But she is merely the tip of the iceberg.  According to the New York Times from 1993 through 2008, 1,207 children who were given Risperdal suffered serious problems, including 31 who died.  Among the deaths was a nine-year-old who suffered a fatal stroke 12 days after starting therapy with Risperdal. 

 Why is this happening? Because overmedicating kids is a symptom of modern parenting.  We love our kids when they behave badly, then we drug them by the millions into “good behavior.”

 Could the real cause behind the bad behavior be that the child is for the first time becoming self-aware, and exerting his or her independence by saying "No" and "you are not the boss of me"?  Could they simply be kids with a backbone who just want to grow up?  And when their independence is restricted, the child discovers that having a tantrum might get him what he wants. 

Rather than view their behavior as the result of a problem that needs medicating, could it just be a healthy striving to be more grown-up and independent?

A parent's job is not to nurture negative toddler behaviors by way of talk therapy, but to teach their child what it really means to be grown-up.  A grown-up is caring, handles disappointment calmly, and has self-control, does not hit, bite, or throw things in anger.

But, parents are taught to reward bad behavior with more attention – and that’s nonsense.  Many of the most popular child-rearing books repeatedly urge parents to hold, soothe, comfort, and talk to the child who bites, screams, throws, breaks things, or otherwise behaves in obnoxious, infantile ways.  Commonsense and truckload of research argue solidly against this practice.  Yet, these experts seems to be unaware of the well-established fact that children do what gets noticed, that adult attention usually makes behavior occur more likely, not less.  The result is that the “terrible-two” behaviors beget the even worse terrible threes, fours, and fives followed by a diagnosis and then -- all too often -- pills.

 Once those methods are proven ineffective, after years of their use and endless therapy – here comes Biederman and his pills.  And from his ivory tower, Biederman makes the pills acceptable.

 It used to be that children once had discipline; they now have a diagnosis.

 One million children have been diagnosed with this new and controversial diagnosis – “childhood bipolar.”  And one million children are being treated for “childhood bipolar” disorder and more and more at younger and younger ages.

 The real scandal isn’t Biederman’s failure to report potential conflict.  Let him keep his money.  The real scandal is that once reputable institutions are now linked to the enabler whose imprimatur and pills have bailed out the failed theories of child behavior which do more harm than good.  

  Jacob Azerrad, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, in private practice in Lexington, Massachusetts.  He is the author of From Difficult to Delightful in Just 30 Days (McGraw Hill) and Anyone Can Have a Happy Child (Warner Books.)  He has served on the faculty of the University of Virginia Medical School and University of Virginia.  He interned at The Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Boston.  He has appeared in several media outlets including Parents Magazine, Psychology Today and The Boston Globe as well as numerous radio and television programs.

Joseph Biedermann stabs neighbor 61 times

From http://www.rawstory.com

Joseph Biedermann fatally stabbed his Hoffman Estates neighbor 61 times last year. On Friday, a Cook County jury acquitted him of first-degree murder, buying his claim that he was defending himself against an unwanted sexual advance, his mother confirmed Saturday.
Biedermann said [victim Terrance Michael] Hauser invited him to his apartment for drinks after the bartender refused to serve Biedermann. Biedermann, who admitted he is an alcoholic, claims he passed out on Hauser’s couch, only to be awakened later by Hauser threatening him and holding a 4-foot-long sword to his neck.

Biedermann testified Hauser threatened to kill Biedermann if he screamed, which Biedermann said he initially took as a joke. But according to Biedermann, Hauser then replied, “You understand me?” “At that point I knew he was serious,” Biedermann said. “I was in big trouble.”

Biedermann said Hauser threatened to sexually assault him, then held him around the neck and tried to stab him in the stomach with another weapon, an 16-inch dagger. Biedermann testified he escaped Hauser’s grasp, gained control of the weapon and stabbed Hauser as many times as he could. There were no witnesses.